Unwelcome at Home, Following the Order
by Trucbiduleschouettes
Summary: Part 5 of the Harry has a twin!AU With Voldemort's return, the twins fear for the upcoming war, Harry dealing with strange visions while Rohini struggle to keep her power under her control.
1. Chapter 1

**Yoooo guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!**

 **I'm back with the first chapter of the 5th part! 5th part already! Can't believe this AU went so far honestly.**

 **Thank you all so much for your support 3333**

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Rohini sighed and pinched her lips, tipping her index on her arm, obviously irritated. In front of her, Harry was smiling smugly, his similar green eyes shining with amusement as he crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

"So?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, and Rohini throw the measuring tape at her brother before dropping on her bed with a grunt.

"You're the tallest one." She said moodily.

Harry laughed.

"Obviously; you're pretty much Dobby's size. Come on, how tall?"

"172cm." Rohini finally admitted before moaning like a child. "That's no fair! Why are you turning into a giraffe, and I'm not even at 160?"

"I have good genetics." Harry teased her and Rohini threw her pillow to his face, making him chuckle.

"You might be the tallest one, but I still have the coolest glasses." Rohini reminded him before tugging on the collar of her shirt. "It's so bloody hot today…"

The weather lady had announced this morning that they were going through the hottest day of the summer so far. As the day slowly came to an end, it might hopefully get chiller soon. Rohini stood up to open the window of the twins' bedroom and leaned against it, looking at the street.

Cars that were usually gleaming stood dusty in their drives and lawns that were once emerald green lay parched and yellowing, for the use of hosepipes had been banned due to drought. Deprived of their usual car-washing and lawn-mowing pursuits, the inhabitants of Privet Drive had retreated into the shade of their cool houses, windows thrown wide in the hope of tempting in a nonexistent breeze.

"This is boring." Rohini complained for the hundredth time. "There's not a single thing to do! We should, I don't know, be training right now!"

"For what." Harry said, though he knew the answer already.

"For the upcoming war, obviously." Rohini said shortly, starting to pace.

"Stop doing that, it's irritating." Harry complained.

"You're irritating." Rohini said and Harry made a vaguely offensive gesture at her and Rohini pretended to be offended; truth was, her relationship with Harry had started to change since the start of the summer. They were even closer than before, but they also bickered and teased each other more often.

"Stop being so rude and do something about your hair!" Rohini said, standing straight and looking down at Harry in a poorly done imitation of Aunt Petunia.

Then, she puffed her cheeks and frowned, trying to look like Uncle Vernon and pointing an accusing finger at Harry.

"We went through all those troubles, keeping you with us, and you dare to relax and do nothing?"

Rohini kept the game going for a minute before growing bored.

"Let's go outside." She said, picking up Thranduil and perching her cat on her shoulders, which didn't seem to bother the Siamese cat at all. "If I stay one more second in this room, I'll lose my soul."

"You're a dramatic crybaby, Rohi'." Harry pointed out and Rohini childishly pulled her tongue out at him before following him into the staircase.

"That's why you love me." She said, nudging him. "I'm your favourite dramatic little sister."

"If you think so." Harry said, though a smile was playing on his lips.

As they put on their shoes, they heard Uncle Vernon's voice from the living room.

"Dudders out for tea?"

"At the Polkisses',' said Aunt Petunia fondly. 'He's got so many little friends, he's so popular..."

"How dumb can she be to believe that?" Rohini whispered as Harry snorted.

The Dursleys really were astonishingly stupid about their son, Dudley. They had swallowed all his dim-witted lies about having tea with a different member of his gang every night of the summer holidays.

The twins knew perfectly well that Dudley had not been to tea anywhere; he and his gang spent every evening vandalising the play park, smoking on street corners and throwing stones at passing cars and children. Rohini had interfered twice, each time gaining a few bruises but winning the fight.

As they got outside, Harry stopped Rohini to listen to the news report that was hearable by the opened window.

"-Record numbers of stranded holidaymakers fill airports as the Spanish baggage-handlers' strike reaches its second week-"

"No death today either." Rohini said lightly, though she let go of the breath she had been holding. Harry let out a long, slow breath too and stared up at the brilliant blue sky.

"Let's go." Rohini said, pulling him after her.

Every day this summer had been the same: the tension, the expectation, the temporary relief, and then mounting tension again. It was turning them slowly crazy; surely, Voldemort was planning to attack, now that he was back to his full strength?

They were now in front of the house when a loud, echoing crack broke the sleepy silence like a gunshot; a cat streaked out from under a parked car and flew out of sight; a shriek, a bellowed oath and the sound of breaking china came from the Dursleys' living room and Rohini felt the hair on her nape rise as she grabbed the wand she was now always carrying with her, her eyes warily looking around her, grabbing Harry's wrist and pushing him behind her.

Eyes streaming, Rohini swayed, trying to focus on the street to spot the source of the noise when a large purple hand closed tightly on her wrist, making her yell.

"Put it away!" Uncle Vernon snarled, clenching both twins for Harry had also gotten his wand ready.

"Get off me!" Harry yelled and Rohini grabbed her Uncle with her free hand, trying to twist his wrist.

For a few seconds they struggled, until Rohini felt a furious heated wave passing through her, Uncle Vernon yelped and released them both, shaking his hand as if he had touched something too hot. Indeed, his fat purple fingers looked reddish now.

"Come, Harry." Rohini said, pulling her wand back into her pocket without looking away from her Uncle. Though she did her best to look calm, she was burning inside; quite literally. Her whole body felt too warm, as if fire wanted to burst out of her veins. Rohini shook her head; she needed to control her anger and her growing power, before it turned her into ashes.

Harry wasn't aware of her new source of agitation, but Rohini had kept in touch with Professor Lupin and Sirius, seeking their opinion on this new matter. Both had come to the conclusion that Rohini's extensive training to become an Animagus, her intense emotions, and all she had gone through this past year must have startled her magic, forcing it to adapt to an abnormal state of mind for a teenager.

To compensate, Rohini had started going on daily jogs every morning; if she had never been a morning person, she hadn't been able to sleep more than a few hours since Cedric's death. And without magic and potions to help, she was just helpless against insomnia.

"Lovely evening!" shouted Uncle Vernon, waving at Mrs. Number Seven opposite, who was glaring from behind her net curtains. "Did you hear that car backfire just now? Gave Petunia and me quite a turn!"

"Yeah, let's go." Harry whispered, and the twins started to walk away faster, Thranduil having jump off Rohini's shoulders at the cracking noise and now trotting next to them. They walked in silence for a while, Rohini glancing occasionally at her still warm hands, when Harry spoke.

"That cracking noise… sounded like apparating or disapparating, don't you think?"

"Huh?" Rohini said, having not paid much attention. Harry repeated himself.

"It's exactly the sound Dobby made when he vanished, no?"

"Oh, now that you point it out…" Rohini said, frowning before glancing around warily. "Do you think it's him? Voldemort? Or one of his followers? Maybe we should go back inside-"

"Rohini, calm down." Harry said firmly and Rohini realised she had started breathing faster. "I said it was a possibility. Maybe it was just a car."

"Yeah, of course." Rohini chuckled nervously, passing a hand in her sweaty curls and grimacing; she will need to go back to the hairdresser soon. Still, she couldn't help but take a look above their shoulders every two minutes, her hand always ready to grab her wand.

They walked in silence, hardly aware of the route they were taking, Harry leading the way. Rohini was now trying to rationalise. Perhaps it hadn't been a magical sound after all; yes, it might have been a car, or some dumb jocks being troublesome. Beside, nobody knew where Harry and she lived except her friends… or had Voldemort managed to find the information via his spies?

"Any news from Padma?" Harry asked as they took a break within a tree's shadow.

"The usual; her mum is trying her best to rally people to our cause, but most of her colleagues refuses to go against Fudge; if the Minister said Voldemort isn't back, then he isn't." Rohini sighed. "I told her to stop defending me 'cause I don't want her to lose her job, but her mother told her she wouldn't listen to the Minister's lies."

"Told you more than both Hermione and Ron told me." Harry said bitterly.

"Still angry at them?" Rohini asked tentatively.

Owls carrying letters from Harry's best friends Ron and Hermione were rare, and the letters short and vague: 'We can't say much about you-know-what, obviously...' 'We've been told not to say anything important in case our letters go astray...' 'There's a fair amount going on, we'll tell you everything when we see you...'

It was frustrating, to say the least. Harry was so angry one day with them he had thrown away, unopened, the two boxes of Honeydukes chocolates they'd sent him for his birthday. He'd regretted it later, after the wilted salad Aunt Petunia had provided for dinner that night. Luckily for him, Rohini had picked them up right after he had thrown them behind his back.

"You know, I'm frustrated too." Rohini said as they started walking again. She picked up a pebble, and threw it as far as she could. "I wish I could be useful. But what good can we do, right now? The Minister hates our guts, wants to make me pass for a liar, and brings you down with me. So for now, it's probably better if we keep a low profile, or something. I'm sure that's why we aren't getting involved more. Wouldn't want the Minister to think we're plotting against him or something, right?"

"Yeah." Harry said. "How do you always sound smarter?"

"I have good genetics." Rohini said and Harry puffed as an ugly snort left her. "Would be dumb to be a Ravenclaw that can't use her brain, dontcha think? I don't wanna be a Lockhart."

"Understandable." Harry nodded.

"Besides, I am angry at the situation." Rohini pointed out. "I'm just…trying to keep it under control, I guess."

"I see." Harry said, and they stopped talking, each thinking about the situation.

They vaulted over the locked park gate and set off across the parched grass. The park was as empty as the surrounding streets. When they reached the swings, Rohini sank on to the only one that Dudley and his friends had not yet managed to break, coiled one arm around the chain then started pushing on her legs.

"Harry, push me!" She asked like a petulant child. Reluctant at first, Harry finally stood behind her and started pushing her, making her laugh. "Higher! Come on, I thought you were stronger than that!"

"You little-" Harry laughed, pushing her with all his strength now. "Satisfied?"

No; Rohini was getting higher, but it wasn't enough, didn't feel enough. Her eyes fixed on the sky, she forced a bit more on her legs, swinging higher and higher and-

The fall took her by surprise; Rohini wasn't sure if she had jumped or slipped off the swing; one moment she was laughing, wishing to reach the clouds and fly away from all their problems, and the next second she was yelling in pain, laying in the dust and her whole body throbbing.

"Rohi!" Harry run to her side, helping her to sit up. "Are you ok? What happened?"

"I dunno…" Rohini grunted. "I think I slipped, or something…"

"I saw you let go of the chains." Harry said slowly. "Are you sure you're o-"

"I'm fine!" Rohini snapped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you." She apologised quickly. "It's this godamn summer, getting on my nerves."

"I know the feeling, trust me." Harry sighed.

"Still have nightmares?" Rohini asked with a worried frown.

Harry had been having unsettling dreams about long dark corridors recently, all finishing in dead ends and locked doors. The old scar on his forehead also started to prickle uncomfortably, warning that Voldemort was getting stronger again. But just like Rohini, he was powerless without magic against those agitated nights.

They just sat here for a while, looking at the sky as a sultry, velvety night fell around them, the air full of the smell of warm, dry grass, and the only sound that of the low grumble of traffic on the road beyond the park railings. How could everything look so normal, but only make them feel more anxious as time went by? The sound of voices interrupted Rohini's musings and she looked up.

The streetlamps from the surrounding roads were casting a misty glow strong enough to silhouette a group of people making their way across the park. One of them was singing a loud, crude song. The others were laughing. A soft ticking noise came from several expensive racing bikes that they were wheeling along. Rohini cursed as Harry grunted. They both knew who those people were.

The figure in front was unmistakeably his cousin, Dudley Dursley, wending his way home, accompanied by his faithful gang.

Dudley was as vast as ever, but a year's hard dieting and the discovery of a new talent had wrought quite a change in his physique. As Uncle Vernon delightedly told anyone who would listen, Dudley had recently become the Junior Heavyweight Inter-school Boxing Champion of the Southeast.

Neighbourhood children all around were terrified of him, and would often wait for Rohini to be outside to play; they knew that for some reason, the brutal boy never tried anything against the short girl.

Rohini pinched her lips. If Dudley's friends saw them sitting here, they would be sure to make a beeline for them and what would Dudley do then? He wouldn't want to lose face in front of the gang, but he'd be terrified of provoking both cousins…

"Wouldn't it be fun?" Harry asked in a low voice, "watch Dudley's dilemma, deciding if his reputation is worth fighting us…"

"Don't look so happy about it." Rohini scolded him, though she was starting to wish for it, too. No, it wasn't right; she needed to focus on not bringing any unwanted attention on Harry and she, yes, stay in the shadows…

The gang didn't turn around, they didn't see them, they were almost at the railings. Rohini saw Harry's jaw tensing up, the way his fingers flinched, and she gave him a warning glance, shaking her head.

The voices of Dudley's gang died away; they were out of sight, heading along Magnolia Road.

"There you go, Sirius number 2." Harry mumbled, referencing to Sirius' demand to do nothing rash.

"Don't be so petty." Rohini scolded him. "Now, up, up, up; it's too dark to stay outside, and I'm getting hungry."

"Didn't know you were afraid of the dark." Harry said and Rohini pinched him between the ribs, making him yelp indignantly.

"You know that Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon seem to feel that whenever Dudley turned up was the right time to be home, and any time after that's much too late."

Uncle Vernon had threatened to lock the twins in the shed if they came home after Dudley the previous day, and Rohini had no doubt he'd try.

Magnolia Road, like Privet Drive, was full of large, square houses with perfectly manicured lawns, all owned by large, square owners who drove very clean cars similar to Uncle Vernon's.

The twins preferred Little Whinging by night, when the curtained windows made patches of jewel-bright colour in the darkness and they ran no danger of hearing disapproving mutters about their 'delinquent' appearance when they passed the householders.

Harry walked quickly and Rohini had to jog behind him, so that halfway along Magnolia Road Dudley's gang came into view again; they were saying their farewells at the entrance to Magnolia Crescent. Harry stepped into the shadow of a large lilac tree and waited.

"What are you doing?" Rohini whispered, but Harry shushed her. "Harry…"

"Shhh!"

"...squealed like a pig, didn't he?" Malcolm was saying, to guffaws from the others.

"Nice right hook, Big D," said Piers.

"Big D? Like, you know, big di-"

"Shhh!" Harry shushed her again as Rohini giggled.

"Same time tomorrow?" said Dudley.

"Round at my place, my parents will be out," said Gordon.

"See you then," said Dudley.

"Bye, Dud!"

"See ya, Big D!"

Harry waited for the rest of the gang to move on before setting off again and Rohini followed, wondering if she should stop her brother before he did something reckless. Funny, since it was usually her that Harry had to hold back.

"Hey, Big D!" Harry shouted.

Dudley turned.

"Oh," he grunted. "It's you."

"Yup. Surprised?" Rohini asked, catching up with the two of them. "Aren't you happy to see your favourite cousins?"

"I see you every day." Dudley said dully. "And I hate your guts."

"How long have you been "Big D" then?" said Harry as Rohini bite her lips to hold her laugh.

"Shut it," snarled Dudley, turning away.

"Didn't you like being our Ickle Diddykins? It will break your mummy's heart." Rohini said lightly.

"I said, SHUT IT!" said Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists.

"You don't tell her to shut up. What about "Popkin" and "Dinky Diddydums", can we use them then?"

"So, who've you been beating up tonight?" Rohini asked, all trace of humour vanishing from her voice. 'Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago."

"He was asking for it." snarled Dudley.

"He is half my size." Rohini snarled back.

"He cheeked me."

'Yeah? Did he say you look like a pig that's been taught to walk on its hind legs? 'Cause that's not cheek, Dud, that's true." Harry said.

A muscle was twitching in Dudley's jaw. Rohini was ready to add something, but held it back. It was enough to shut her cousin up; insisting would make her no better than Malfoy and his dumb bigot of friends.

They took a short cut between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. It was empty and much darker than the streets it linked because there were no streetlamps. Their footsteps were muffled between garage walls on one side and a high fence on the other.

"Think you're a big man carrying that thing, don't you?" Dudley said to Harry after a few seconds, Rohini and Thranduil walking in front of them.

"What thing?"

"He means our wands." Rohini said without looking at the boys; she picked up Thranduil and buried her nose in his short fur; the night felt much chiller, suddenly.

"Not as stupid as you look, are you, Dud? But I s'pose, if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time..."

"Harry." Rohini warned him. Looking behind, she stopped when she saw that her brother had pulled out his wand. "Harry, stop that."

"You're not allowed," Dudley said at once. "I know you're not. You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to."

"How d'you know they haven't changed the rules, Big D?" Harry said casually, waving his wrist.

"Harry." Rohini called again, sounding tense. Now wasn't time to act recklessly; if Harry accidentally used magic, the Minister will never let it pass…

"You haven't got the guts to take me on without that thing, have you?" Dudley snarled.

"Whereas you just need four mates behind you before you can beat up a ten year old. You know that boxing title you keep banging on about? How old was your opponent? Seven? Eight?"

"Boys, stop it." Rohini snarled, stepping closer as another shiver ran up her spin. How was it suddenly so cold already? "I'm strong enough to take on both of you and pull you by the ears if I need to."

"Not this brave at night, are you?" sneered Dudley. Rohini frowned.

"Look around you, Duddy. What do you think this is? Night. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like this. Do I look scared to you?"

"I mean when you're in bed!" Dudley snarled.

He had stopped walking. Harry stopped too, staring at his cousin, then at Rohini. He suddenly looked vaguely nervous, and Rohini wondered what he was hiding from her.

"'What am I supposed to be frightened of, my pillows? The bogey man?" Rohini asked, bemused.

Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter, then adopted a high-pitched whimpering voice.

"'Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric-your boyfriend?"

 _Oh_.

"Not your business, Big D." Rohini snarled, starting to walk again.

"'Dad! Help me, Dad! He's going to kill me, Dad!' Boo hoo!"

"Shut up," said Harry quietly. "Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!"

Rohini had stopped again, her fists clenched as she resisted the urge to grab her wand. She couldn't, shouldn't-

"'Come and help me, Dad! Mum, come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me! He's going to-' Don't you point that thing at me!"

Rohini saw Dudley backed into the alley wall. Harry was pointing the wand directly at his heart; fourteen years' hatred of Dudley were showing on his face on this instant. And for the first time in fourteen years, Rohini was scared of her brother.

"Don't ever talk about that again," Harry snarled. "D'you understand me?"

"Point that thing somewhere else!"

"I said, do you understand me?"

"Point it somewhere else!"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"HARRY!" Rohini shouted, grabbing her brother's arm and pulling him away from their cousin. "Harry James freaking Potter, stop this RIGHT NOW."

"He-"

"No." Rohini snapped. "Stop. It. Now."

"Oh, you're one to tal-" Harry suddenly stopped, looking up and Rohini did the same.

Something had happened to the night.

The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch black and lightless-the stars, the moon, the misty streetlamps at either end of the alley had vanished. The distant rumble of cars and the whisper of trees had gone. The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them.

"What have you done?" Rohini whispered at Harry. "What spell have you used?!"

"It's not me!" Harry said. "I don't have the power to turn off the stars!"

'W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!" Dudley yelped.

"Shut up, both of you!" Rohini ordered, grabbing her brother with one hand and searching for her cousin with the other. When she found him, she grabbed him tightly enough for him to squeal and try to run away.

"It's me, dumbass." She scolded. "Don't move."

Rohini stood still, turning her sightless eyes left and right, feeling the boys' pulse getting faster under her fingers, their skins getting sweaty. She felt Thranduil jump on top of her shoulders, growling; something bad was coming.

The cold was so intense she was shivering all over; goose bumps had erupted up her arms and the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. She regretted wearing shorts on this instant.

"I'll t-tell Dad!" Dudley whimpered.

"Shhh. Harry, can you hear anything?" Rohini asked slowly.

"Yes… Yes, it's… but they can't be here…"

"C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll h-hit you, I swear I will!"

"Dudley, shut up!" Rohini snarled, squeezing her fingers around her cousin's wrist. "Harry, what is it? Death Eaters?"

"Dementors." Harry said, just as Rohini _felt_ their presences.

"Shit. Shit!" She cursed, backing up against the wall, pulling the boys with her. But as she let go of Dudley to grab her wand, her cousin sprinted out of reach, screaming. "DUDLEY, NOT THIS WAY YOU FREAKING MORON!" She shouted angrily, running blindly after him.

"Expecto patronum!"

Rohini glanced above her shoulder, and felt her inside froze as she recognised the hooded figure of a Dementor as a silvery wisp of vapour shot from the tip of the wand and the creature slowed, but the spell hadn't worked properly.

"Harry, concentrate!" Rohini shouted before a skeletal hand grabbed her by the neck and pushed her hard against the concrete wall, making her gasp for her; here was the other one. Rohini's head started to spin, voices echoing through her mind, the last living moment of her parents. She could smell the Dementor's putrid, death-cold breath filling her own lungs, drowning her.

'No… no, I can't die, not like this…' Rohini thought helplessly, realising she had dropped her wand under the strength of the impact. 'Think, Rohi, think… use your own strength… anger… use your anger…'

Clenching her teeth, Rohini thought about the children she had to protect from Dudley, and Harry she needed to keep out of trouble in fear of the consequences, she thought of Cedric and his unnecessary death, she thought of Malfoy taunting her about the twins' imminent death, she thought of Voldemort laughing at her-

It was brief, but for the split of a second, Rohini felt her whole body burning with anger, the blood boiling inside her veins; she grabbed the Dementor's wrists and concentrate on the heat emanating from her, almost pleasant.

'Yes, use it… use your rage…'

The smell of burning, rotting flesh made her gag, the Dementor still holding her but now shrieking, not trying to kiss her anymore.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Rohini saw in the corner of her eyes an enormous silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry's wand; it's antlers caught the Dementor in the place where the heart should have been; it was thrown backwards, weightless as darkness, and as the stag charged, the Dementor swooped away, bat-like and defeated.

"THIS WAY!" Harry shouted at the stag. Wheeling around, he sprinted down the alleyway, holding the lit wand aloft. "ROHINI! DUDLEY!"

Rohini gasped as the hold on her neck was released and she collapsed on the ground, massing her throat and coughing.

'GET IT!' Harry bellowed, and with a rushing, roaring sound, the silver stag he had conjured came galloping past the twins.

Disoriented, Rohini raise her head and saw that a third Dementor's eyeless face was barely an inch from Dudley's when the silver antlers caught it; the thing was thrown up into the air and, like its fellow, it soared away and was absorbed into the darkness; the stag cantered to the end of the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist.

Moon, stars and streetlamps burst back into life. A warm breeze swept the alleyway. Trees rustled in neighbouring gardens and the mundane rumble of cars in Magnolia Crescent filled the air again.

"Rohi? You alright?" Harry asked her, helping her to stand up before jolting away. "Woah, you're burning!"

"Nah, you're just really cold." Rohini mumbled, whipping the sweat of her forehead and rubbing her hands on her shorts. Harry was right; she was uncomfortably hot again, almost painfully; if there had been a pond filled with ice cubes somewhere, she would have thrown herself in.

Dudley lay curled up on the ground, whimpering and shaking.

"See if he's all good." Rohini told Harry, when a sudden movement made her flinch. More foes?

But it is only Mrs. Figg, their batty old neighbour, who came panting into sight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: Rohini use swear words. But what's new here...**

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Mrs. Figg, their batty old neighbour, came panting into sight. Her grizzled grey hair was escaping from its hairnet, a clanking purse was swinging from her wrist and her feet were halfway out of her tartan carpet slippers.

"Mrs. Figg! You shouldn't be outside so late." Rohini said, picking up her wand and hiding it behind her back.

"Don't put them away, you two!" she shrieked. "What if there are more of them around? Oh, I'm going to kill Mundungus Fletcher!"

"Who?" Rohini asked, confused.

"What?" said Harry blankly.

"Uurg…" was Dudley answer.

"He left!" said Mrs. Figg, wringing her hands. "Left to see someone about a batch of cauldrons that fell off the back of a broom! I told him I'd flay him alive if he went, and now look! Dementors! It's just lucky I put Mr. Tibbles on the case! But we haven't got time to stand around! Hurry, now, we've got to get you back! Oh, the trouble this is going to cause! I will kill him!"

"Wait, did you just- How do you know about Dementors, Mrs. Figg?" Rohini asked, frowning. "Are you…"

"Are you a witch?" Harry finished, and the twins exchanged a shocked smile.

"I'm a Squib, as Mundungus knows full well, so how on earth was I supposed to help you fight off Dementors? He left you completely without cover when I'd warned him—"

"A Squib! Why did you never tell us?" Rohini said. "If you're a Squib, you knew about us being, well, us!"

"Of course I did, my girl." Mrs. Figg scoffed.

"This Mundungus has been following us? Hang on-it was him! He disapparated from the front of our house!" Harry realised.

"Yes, yes, yes, but luckily I'd stationed Mr. Tibbles under a car just in case, and Mr Tibbles came and warned me, but by the time I got to your house you'd gone- and now-oh, what's Dumbledore going to say? You!" she shrieked at Dudley, still supine on the alley floor. "Get your fat bottom off the ground, quick!"

"You know Dumbledore?" said Harry, staring at her while Rohini helped her cousin back on his feet, grunting at his weight.

"Of course I know Dumbledore, who doesn't know Dumbledore? But come on- I'll be no help if they come back, I've never so much as Transfigured a teabag."

"Harry, I wouldn't mind some help over there." Rohini grimaced and Harry seized one of Dudley's massive arms with a grunt.

Dudley seemed to be on the point of fainting. His small eyes were rolling in their sockets and sweat was beading his face.

"Come on, Big D." Rohini said, pulling her cousin's arm around her own shoulder, sagging under the weight. "Damn, he's as heavy as Hagrid!"

Mrs. Figg tottered along in front of them, peering anxiously around the corner.

"Keep your wand out," she told the twins, as they entered Wisteria Walk. "Never mind the Statute of Secrecy now, there's going to be hell to pay anyway, we might as well be hanged for a dragon as an egg. Talk about the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery... This was exactly what Dumbledore was afraid of-what's that at the end of the street? Oh, it's just Mr. Prentice... Don't put your wand away, boy, don't I keep telling you I'm no use?"

"It's alright, Mrs. Figg." Rohini said, trying to calm down the old lady. "It's ok Harry, I can carry him myself now; better have one of us ready to cast a Patronus, just in case."

"Ok." Harry said, letting go of Dudley.

Rohini huffed, and with great efforts managed to stay on her feet, though she feared her spine would snap under Dudley's weight.

"Did Professor Dumbledore ask you to keep an eye on us?" Rohini wheezed.

Mrs. Figg gave her a quick look above her shoulder.

"Yes; been my duty for the past fourteen years. I was to keep an eye on you but not say anything, you were too young. But oh my word," she said tragically, wringing her hands once more, "when Dumbledore hears about this-how could Mundungus have left, he was supposed to be on duty until midnight-where is he? How am I going to tell Dumbledore what's happened? I can't Apparate-"

"I've got an owl, you can borrow her." Harry said.

"Still, Dementors…" Rohini said, her expression growing grim. "They must be on his side, now; probably didn't take long for Voldemort to-"

"Don't say his name!" Mrs. Figg shrieked, horrified. "MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

There was a loud crack and a strong smell of drink mingled with stale tobacco filled the air as a squat, unshaven man in a tattered overcoat materialised right in front of them. He had short, bandy legs, long straggly ginger hair and bloodshot, baggy eyes that gave him the doleful look of a basset hound.

Rohini's nose twisted at the smell, and she covered her nose with her t shirt.

"'S' up, Figgy?" he said, staring from Mrs. Figg to Harry to Rohini and Dudley. "What 'appened to staying undercover?"

"I'll give you undercover!" cried Mrs. Figg, starting to hit the man with her purse. Judging by the clanking noise it made it was full of cat food. "Dementors, you useless, skiving sneak thief!"

"Dementors?" repeated Mundungus, aghast. "Dementors, here?"

"Yes, here, you worthless pile of bat droppings, here!" shrieked Mrs. Figg. "Dementors attacking the kids on your watch! 'And you off buying stolen cauldrons! Didn't I tell you not to go? Didn't I?"

"I-well, I-" Mundungus looked deeply uncomfortable. "It ... it was a very good business opportunity, see..."

"A very good opportunity?" Rohini cut him, bemused. "You want to know what's a good opportunity? The fact that Harry was forced to use underage magic, something I'm sure our little friend the Minister will have the pleasure to notice!"

"See? This girl is smarter than your little, pea sized brain!" Mrs. Figg pointed out, still swinging her purse at Mundungus.

"Keep your 'airnet on!" said Mundungus, his arms over his head, cowering. "I'll tell Dumbledore right now! I'm going, I'm going!"

And with another loud crack, he vanished.

"I hope Dumbledore murders him!" said Mrs. Figg furiously.

"Maybe changing him into a bat will be enough." Rohini said wisely.

"I'll take you to the door," said Mrs. Figg, as they turned into Privet Drive. "Just in case there are more of them around... Oh my word, what a catastrophe ... and you had to fight them off yourself ... and Dumbledore said we were to keep you from doing magic at all costs... Well, it's no good crying over spilt potion, I suppose ... but the cat's among the pixies now..."

"So," Harry said, "Dumbledore's ... been having ... us followed?"

"Of course he has," said Mrs. Figg impatiently. "Did you expect him to let you wander around on your own after what happened in June? Good Lord, boy, they told me you were intelligent..."

Rohini snorted and Harry gave her a nasty side glance.

"Right ... get inside and stay there," Mrs. Figg said, as they reached number four. "I expect someone will be in touch with you soon enough."

"Thanks, Mrs. Figg." Rohini said. "Sorry for all the troubles we gave you tonight."

"Oh, girl, this isn't your fault." The old lady said, gently slapping Rohini's cheeks. "It's all Mundungus' fault, this little- but enough worries for tonight, yes… goodnight!"

"Hang on, don't go yet! I want to know-" Harry tried to say, but Mrs. Figg had already set off at a trot, carpet slippers flopping, string bag clanking. "Wait!" Harry shouted after her.

"It's late, Harry." Rohini said, shaking her head. "Let's keep the questions for later; we have a biggest problem to deal with right now." She pointed out, nodding at Dudley.

Scowling, Harry opened the door to number four and held it for her.

"Diddy! About time too, I was getting quite-quite- Diddy, what's the matter?"

Rohini looked sideways at Dudley and ducked out from under his arm just in time. Dudley swayed on the spot for a moment, his face pale green... then he opened his mouth and vomited all over the doormat.

"Urg, gross!" Rohini complained, stepping away.

"DIDDY! Diddy, what's the matter with you? Vernon? VERNON!"

Uncle Vernon came galumphing out of the living room, walrus moustache blowing hither and thither as it always did when he was agitated. He hurried forwards to help Aunt Petunia negotiate a weak-kneed Dudley over the threshold while avoiding stepping in the pool of sick.

"He's ill, Vernon!"

"What is it, son? What's happened? Did Mrs. Polkiss give you something foreign for tea?"

"Why are you all covered in dirt, darling? Have you been lying on the ground?"

"Hang on-you haven't been mugged, have you, son?"

Aunt Petunia screamed and Rohini grimaced.

"Phone the police, Vernon! Phone the police! Diddy, darling, speak to Mummy! What did they do to you?"

"For Merlin's sake, he wasn't mugged!" Rohini shouted, annoyed.

"Then what happened?"

"Him." Dudley finally said, pointing vaguely at Harry whose face screwed up, bracing for the explosion.

"BOY! COME HERE!" Uncle Vernon shouted, grabbing Harry and Dudley by the arms and pulling them into the clean kitchen that had an oddly unreal glitter after the darkness outside. "YOU TOO!" He barked at Rohini.

"As if I was going anywhere." Rohini said shortly.

Aunt Petunia was ushering Dudley into a chair; he was still very green and clammy-looking. Uncle Vernon was standing in front of the draining board, glaring at Harry through tiny, narrowed eyes.

"What have you done to my son?" he said in a menacing growl.

"Nothing." said Harry, though both twins knew perfectly well that Uncle Vernon wouldn't believe him.

"What did he do to you, Diddy?" Aunt Petunia said in a quavering voice, now sponging sick from the front of Dudley's leather jacket. "Was it-was it you-know-what, darling? Did he use-his thing?"

Slowly, tremulously, Dudley nodded.

"I didn't!" Harry said sharply, as Aunt Petunia let out a wail and Uncle Vernon raised his fists.

Rohini stepped between her brother and her uncle, her own fists clenched.

"I didn't do anything to him, it wasn't me, it was-"

But at that precise moment a screech owl swooped in through the kitchen window. Narrowly missing the top of Uncle Vernon's head, it soared across the kitchen, dropped the large parchment envelope it was carrying in its beak at Harry's feet, turned gracefully, the tips of its wings just brushing the top of the fridge, then zoomed outside again and off across the garden.

"OWLS!" bellowed Uncle Vernon, the well-worn vein in his temple pulsing angrily as he slammed the kitchen window shut. "OWLS AGAIN! I WILL NOT HAVE ANY MORE OWLS IN MY HOUSE!"

But Harry was already ripping open the envelope and pulling out the letter inside and Rohini hurried to his side, a dreadful feeling making her heart pound.

The letter read:

 _Dear Mr. Potter,_

 _We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at twenty-three minutes past nine this evening in a Muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle._

 _The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand._

 _As you have already received an official warning for a previous offence under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 a.m. on the twelfth of August._

 _Hoping you are well,_

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Mafalda Hopkirk_

 _Improper Use of Magic Office_

 _Ministry of Magic_

Rohini froze, her breath stuck in her lungs. No, it couldn't be possible.

"No way." She said aloud, shaking her head. "No freaking way!"

Harry said nothing, his eyes fixed on the letter. Rohini barely noticed his hands were shaking.

"We need to leave." Harry finally said, looking at Rohini with a strangely resigned expression. "I can't stay here; I can't- I can't be out of Hogwarts, wandless."

"Harry, wait!"

"Where d'you think you're going?" yelled Uncle Venon. When Harry didn't reply, he pounded across the kitchen to block the doorway into the hall. "I haven't finished with you, boy!"

"Get out of the way." said Harry quietly.

"You're going to stay here and explain how my son-"

"If you don't get out of the way I'm going to jinx you." said Harry, raising the wand.

"Harry, don't-" Rohini started but stopped when she saw the look inside her brother's eyes as he glanced at her.

"You can't pull that one on me!" snarled Uncle Vernon. "I know you're not allowed to use it outside that madhouse you call a school!"

"The madhouse has chucked me out." said Harry. "So I can do whatever I like. You've got three seconds. One-two—"

A resounding CRACK filled the kitchen. Aunt Petunia screamed, Uncle Vernon yelled and ducked and Rohini grabbed Harry's wrist, forcing him to lower his wand.

A dazed and ruffled-looking barn owl was sitting outside on the kitchen sill, having just collided with the closed window.

"Isn't it Percy's old owl?" Rohini asked.

Ignoring Uncle Vernon's anguished yell of 'OWLS!', Harry and Rohini crossed the room at a run and wrenched the window open. The owl stuck out its leg, to which a small roll of parchment was tied, shook its feathers, and took off the moment Harry had taken the letter. Hands shaking, Harry unfurled the second message, which was written very hastily and blotchily in black ink.

 _Harry-_

 _Dumbledore's just arrived at the Ministry and he's trying to sort it all out. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE'S HOUSE. DO NOT DO ANY MORE MAGIC. DO NOT SURRENDER YOUR WAND._

 _Arthur Weasley_

"Oh, thanks Merlin." Rohini sighed, dropping on the closest chair, shaking; it was just too much trouble in such a short period of time. Then, she waved at Harry. "Come on; Harry please, just sit down and wait. Please."

"Right," Harry said, "I've changed my mind, I'm staying."

He flung himself down at the kitchen table and faced Dudley and Aunt Petunia. The Dursleys appeared taken aback at his abrupt change of mind. Aunt Petunia glanced despairingly at Uncle Vernon. The vein in his purple temple was throbbing worse than ever. Rohini stood up and started the electric kettle to boil tea.

"Who are all these ruddy owls from?" Uncle Vernon growled.

"The first one was from the Ministry of Magic, expelling me," said Harry calmly. "The second one was from my friend Ron's dad, who works at the Ministry."

"Ministry of Magic?' bellowed Uncle Vernon. "People like you in government? Oh, this explains everything, everything, no wonder the country's going to the dogs..."

"Or maybe you Muggles are just incompetents to start with." Rohini breathed between her teeth.

"And why have you been expelled?"

"Because I did magic."

"AHA!" roared Uncle Vernon, slamming his fist down on top of the fridge, which sprang open; several of Dudley's low-fat snacks toppled out and burst on the floor. "So you admit it! What did you do to Dudley?"

"He did nothing to him." Rohini said, feeling Harry getting angry again. "We were attacked, and Harry used magic to protect us. Without him and our "thing" as you call it, Dudley would have lost his mind and soul. So be a bit grateful that we didn't bring you a vegetable as a son!"

"All dark," Dudley said hoarsely, shuddering. "Everything dark. And then I h-heard ... things. Inside m-my head..."

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia exchanged looks of utter horror. If their least favourite thing in the world was magic, closely followed by neighbours who cheated more than they did on the hosepipe ban, people who heard voices were definitely in the bottom ten. They obviously thought Dudley was losing his mind.

"What sort of things did you hear, popkin?" breathed Aunt Petunia, very white-faced and with tears in her eyes.

But Dudley seemed incapable of saying. He shuddered again and shook his large blond head. Rohini was taken aback; Dementors caused a person to relive the worst moments of their life, so what would spoiled, pampered, bullying Dudley have been forced to hear?

"Horrible," croaked Dudley. "Cold. Really cold... felt ... felt ... as if ... as if..."

"As if you'd never be happy again." Harry supplied dully. Rohini shuddered as she knew exactly how it felt. Feeling extremely cold herself, she made three cups of tea, one for Harry and one for Dudley; she might despise her cousin, but she also felt pity for him on this instant.

"Yes." Dudley whispered, still trembling as he took the cup from Rohini's hands.

"So!" said Uncle Vernon, voice restored to full and considerable volume as he straightened up. "You put some crackpot spell on my on so he'd hear voices and believe he was-was doomed to misery, or something, did you?"

"How many times do we have to tell you?" said Harry, temper and voice both rising. "It wasn't me! It was a couple of Dementors!"

"A couple of-what's this codswallop?"

"Dementors." Rohini said before taking a sip and grimacing as she burnt her tongue.

"And what the ruddy hell are Dementors?"

"They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban." said Aunt Petunia.

Rohini dropped her cup and hissed as it shattered and the hot liquid splashed everywhere, burning her naked legs.

"Shit!" She cursed, grabbing the closest tea towel; it was definitely painful.

"Rohini, are you ok?" Harry asked.

"I'm fine!" Rohini snapped as she started picking up the broken pieces of porcelain. "How d'you know that?" She asked her aunt, astonished. "Thought you wanted nothing to have to do with our kind?"

Aunt Petunia looked quite appalled with herself. She glanced at Uncle Vernon in fearful apology, then lowered her hand slightly to reveal her horsy teeth.

"I heard-that awful boy-telling her about them-years ago." she said jerkily.

"If you mean my mum and dad, why don't you use their names?" said Harry loudly but Aunt Petunia ignored him. She seemed horribly flustered.

Rohini felt both stunned and revolted. Except for one outburst years ago, in the course of which Aunt Petunia had screamed that their mother had been a freak, she had never mentioned her sister a single time.

Uncle Vernon opened his mouth, closed it again, opened it once more, shut it, then, apparently struggling to remember how to talk, opened it for a third time but only a strange sound left his lips.

Uncle Vernon looked from Aunt Petunia to Dudley to Harry to Rohini as if hoping somebody was going to shout 'April Fool!' When nobody did, he opened his mouth yet again, but was spared the struggle to find more words by the arrival of the third owl of the evening.

It zoomed through the still-open window like a feathery cannon-ball and landed with a clatter on the kitchen table, causing all three of the Dursleys to jump with fright. Harry tore a second official-looking envelope from the owl's beak and ripped it open as the owl swooped back out into the night.

"Enough-effing-owls..." muttered Uncle Vernon distractedly, stomping over to the window and slamming it shut again.

Ignoring her painful legs, Rohini read above Harry's arm:

 _Dear Mr. Potter,_

 _Further to our letter of approximately twenty-two minutes ago, the Ministry of Magic has revised its decision to destroy your wand forthwith. You may retain your wand until your disciplinary hearing on the twelfth of August, at which time an official decision will be taken._

 _Following discussions with the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Ministry has agreed that the question of your expulsion will also be decided at that time. You should therefore consider yourself suspended from school pending further enquiries._

 _With best wishes,_

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Mafalda Hopkirk_

 _Improper Use of Magic Office_

 _Ministry of Magic_

Rohini sighed loudly. Harry's fate was still uncertain, but at last his wand wouldn't be broken, not for now.

"Well?" said Uncle Vernon. "What now? Have they sentenced you to anything? Do your lot have the death penalty?" he added as a hopeful afterthought.

Rohini's eyes flashed.

"YOU SON OF-" Rohini shouted as Harry caught her by the waist. _Screw the whole controlling her anger thing_. "You think death is funny, do you? You can't wait for the day you'll put us in a coffin, huh? Well guess what, you dirty son of a bitch! Almost happened four times already! That's right, four times! And I swear to god that we're going to outlive you, you little-"

"Rohi, calm down!" Harry said, forcing her to sit down. "It's ok, calm down-"

"It's NOT ok!" Rohini shouted. "Do you want to die, just like Cedric? Just like mum and dad?!"

"Of course not!"

"Well, me neither!" Rohini said, her shoulders slouching.

Silence followed her outburst.

"I've got to go to a hearing." finally said Harry. "Well, if that's all, Rohini and I are going to bed."

"NO, IT RUDDY WELL IS NOT ALL!" bellowed Uncle Vernon. "SIT BACK DOWN!"

"What now?" said Harry impatiently. "I thought you were tired of our faces?"

"DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon. "I want to know exactly what happened to my son!"

"FINE!" yelled Harry, and in his temper, red and gold sparks shot out of the end of his wand, still clutched in his hand. All three Dursleys flinched, looking terrified but Rohini barely blinked; on this instant, she was internally suffering as she tried to keep her own power under control, feeling her legs burning more and more where the tea had touched her; her skin wasn't pretty to look at.

"Dudley and I were in the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk, Rohini and her cat with us," said Harry, speaking fast. "Dudley thought he'd be smart with me, I pulled out my wand but didn't use it. Then two Dementors turned up-"

"But what ARE Dementoids?" asked Uncle Vernon furiously. "What do they DO?"

"I told you-they suck all the happiness out of you," said Harry, "and if they get the chance, they kiss you-"

"Kiss you?" said Uncle Vernon, his eyes popping slightly. "Kiss you?"

"It's what they call it when they do it. Sucking the soul out of your mouth." Rohini said clenching her fists as the burning sensation finally got tamed a little.

"Fought 'em off, did you, son?" said Uncle Vernon loudly, with the appearance of a man struggling to bring the conversation back on to a plane he understood. "Gave 'em the old one-two, did you?"

Rohini grunted.

"You can't give a Dementor the old one-two." said Harry through clenched teeth.

"Why's he all right, then?" blustered Uncle Vernon. "Why isn't he all empty, then?"

"Because I used the Patronus-"

WHOOSH. With a clattering, a whirring of wings and a soft fall of dust, a fourth owl came shooting out of the kitchen fireplace.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE!" roared Uncle Vernon, pulling great clumps of hair out of his moustache, something he hadn't been driven to do in a long time. "I WILL NOT HAVE OWLS HERE, I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS, I TELL YOU!"

But Harry was already pulling a roll of parchment from the owl's leg and Rohini recognised the familiar, comforting handwriting of Sirius.

 _Harry, Rohini_

 _Arthur has just told us what's happened. Don't leave the house again, whatever you do. Keep calm, especially you Rohini._

 _We'll meet again soon, I promise_

Harry crushed the letter and Rohini gave him a knowing pat on the shoulder; if she was the one waiting for a trial, she would be furious at the situation, too. Not that she wasn't, of course; but she was scared for Harry, first.

"So, as I was saying," Harry kept going, probably hopping the Dursleys will let them go upstairs soon, "I did the Patronus Charm to get rid of the Dementors. It's the only thing that works against them."

"But what were Dementoids doing in Little Whinging? It's you," said Uncle Vernon forcefully. "It's got something to do with you two, I know it. Why else would they turn up here? Why else would they be down that alleyway? You've got to be the only-the only-"

"Because they're just like you." Rohini said coldly. "Because they want us dead."

"He must have sent them…" Said Harry quietly, exchanging a knowing look with Rohini. "Lord Voldemort."

"No need to call him a Lord. He is nothing but vermin." Rohini spat.

"Lord- hang on," said Uncle Vernon, his face screwed up, a look of dawning comprehension coming into his piggy eyes. "I've heard that name ... that was the one who..."

"Murdered our parents, yes." Harry said dully.

"But he's gone." said Uncle Vernon impatiently. "That giant bloke said so. He's gone."

"Well, not anymore. I saw him come back to life." Rohini said heavily, a strange coldness invading her bones as Cedric's face flashed through her mind.

It felt very strange to be standing here in Aunt Petunia's surgically clean kitchen, beside the top-of-the-range fridge and the wide-screen television, talking calmly of Voldemort to Uncle Vernon.

The arrival of the Dementors in Little Whinging seemed to have breached the great, invisible wall that divided the relentlessly non-magical world of Privet Drive and the world beyond.

"Back?" whispered Aunt Petunia.

She was looking at the twins as she had never looked at them before. And all of a sudden, for the very first time in his life, Rohini fully understood that Aunt Petunia was their mother's sister. Rohini saw the understanding and the fear as her aunt realised what was implied here.

"Yes." Rohini said, nodding. "He… well, let's say Harry and I have a huge killing target on our back, again."

"Hang on," said Uncle Vernon, looking from his wife to Harry to Rohini and back again, apparently dazed and confused by the unprecedented understanding that seemed to have sprung up between them. "Hang on. This Lord Voldything's back, you say."

"Yes."

"The one who murdered your parents."

"Yes."

"And now he's sending dismembers after you?"

"Looks like it." said Harry as Rohini nodded tiredly.

"I see…" said Uncle Vernon, hitching up his trousers. He seemed to be swelling, his great purple face stretching before their eyes. "Well, that settles it," he said, his shirt front straining as he inflated himself, "you can get out of this house, you two!"

Rohini blinked quickly. Surely she hadn't hear him well?

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me-OUT!" Uncle Vernon bellowed, and even Aunt Petunia and Dudley jumped. "OUT! OUT! I should've done this years ago! Owls treating the place like a rest home, puddings exploding, half the lounge destroyed, Dudley's tail, Marge bobbing around on the ceiling and that flying Ford Anglia-OUT! OUT! You've had it! You're history! You're not staying here if some loony's after you, you're not endangering my wife and son, you're not bringing trouble down on us, if you're going the same way as your useless parents, I've had it! OUT!"

"Don't you dare-" Rohini said, grabbing her wand and putting it right under Uncle Vernon's double chin, "Don't you even dare trying to kick us out!"

"You heard me!" said Uncle Vernon, bending forwards now. "Get going! You were all keen to leave half an hour ago! I'm right behind you! Get out and never darken our doorstep again! Why we ever kept you in the first place, I don't know, Marge was right, it should have been the orphanage. We were too damn soft for our own good, thought we could squash it out of you, thought we could turn you normal, but you've been rotten from the beginning and I've had enough-OWLS!"

The fifth owl zoomed down the chimney so fast it actually hit the floor before zooming into the air again with a loud screech. Rohini raised her free hand to seize the letter, which was in a scarlet envelope, but it soared straight over her head, flying directly at Aunt Petunia, who let out a scream and ducked, her arms over her face. The owl dropped the red envelope on her head, turned, and flew straight back up the chimney.

Rohini stepped closer.

"It's addressed to you." She told her aunt in a dull voice. "Mrs. Petunia Dursley, The Kitchen, Number Four, Privet Drive."

The red envelope had begun to smoke.

Aunt Petunia was trembling. She looked wildly around the kitchen as though looking for an escape route, but too late-the envelope burst into flames.

An awful voice filled the kitchen, echoing in the confined space, issuing from the burning letter on the table.

"REMEMBER MY LAST, PETUNIA."

Aunt Petunia looked as though she might faint. She sank into the chair beside Dudley, her face in her hands. The remains of the envelope smouldered into ash in the silence.

"What is this?" Uncle Vernon said hoarsely. "What-I don't-Petunia?"

Aunt Petunia said nothing. Dudley was staring stupidly at his mother, his mouth hanging open. The silence spiralled horribly.

"What does it mean?" Rohini asked, exchanging a confused glance with her brother.

"Petunia, dear?" said Uncle Vernon timidly. "P-Petunia?"

She raised her head. She was still trembling. She swallowed.

"The boy-the boy and the girl, they will have to stay, Vernon." she said weakly.

"W-what?"

"They stays." she said. She was not looking at Harry or Rohini. She got to her feet again. "If we throw them out, the neighbours will talk." she added, as she was rapidly regaining her usual brisk, snappish manner, though she was still very pale. "They'll ask awkward questions, they'll want to know where they're gone. We'll have to keep them."

Uncle Vernon was deflating like an old tyre.

"'You're to stay in your room." she said to the twins. "You're not to leave the house. Now get to bed."

Rohini started to leave but stopped as Harry didn't move.

"Who was that Howler from?"

"Don't ask questions." Aunt Petunia snapped.

'Are you in touch with wizards? What did it mean? Remember the last what?"

"Go to bed!"

"How come-?"

"YOU HEARD YOUR AUNT, NOW GO UP TO BED!" Uncle Vernon screamed, and Rohini grabbed Harry by the arm, whispering at him to just go and the twins made their way upstairs, locking the door behind them.

"Don't do any more magic, stay in the house… What are we, kids?!" Harry said angrily.

He kicked his school trunk as he passed it and Rohini sighed, rubbing her face tiredly.

"Teens, technically. Though I suppose we do look like kids to adults-"

"I'm not in the mood for your witty comments, Rohi." Harry snapped.

"And I'm not in the mood for your tantrum, yet here we are." Rohini snarled back.

Harry threw himself down on his bed without undressing and stared at the dark ceiling. Rohini stayed on her feet, her back leaning against the door.

"Goodnight, then?" She said tentatively, but Harry only turned her back at her. "Wow. Fuck you, Harry." She grumbled before dropping on her own bed, turning her back to Harry's back in return.

In the ambient darkness, a deafening silence planning above them, Rohini couldn't ignore her throbbing legs she had accidentally burnt earlier, and the way the palm of her hands were slightly glowing, as if she had fire in her veins. A fire she couldn't control.

'Well, maybe I'll accidentally burn this stupid house to the ground.' was her last though as she pushed her head into her pillow, though the rationalist part of her would later admit she was glad it didn't happen; there was enough troubles already with one twin on trial.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day was the tensest it had been in months for Rohini. Not only were the twins forbidden to leave their room, but Harry was still ignoring her, and so she was doing the same, considering it wasn't at her to apologise.

Three times that day Aunt Petunia shoved food into their room through the cat-flap Uncle Vernon had installed three summers ago. Every time Harry heard her approaching he tried to question her about the Howler, but he might as well have interrogated the doorknob for all the answers he got.

Rohini had simply given up; there were more serious things to worry about than Aunt Petunia's mysterious pen pal. Though, Rohini had reduced the choice to two people: Dumbledore or Sirius. Who else would make sure that the twins stayed at 4, Private drive?

She would have made those suggestions to Harry if he wasn't currently being all sulky about his life.

"You do realise I could help if you asked me to." Rohini said without looking at him, laying on her bed and juggling with the apple Aunt Petunia had shoved by the cat flap earlier.

Harry didn't answer, and Rohini pinched her lips, throwing the apple a bit too hard and making it bounce against the ceiling.

Harry was still pacing, but he was now looking at his sister; that was some progress, at last. Still, Rohini kept her mouth shut. If Harry wanted more information, then he just had to ask.

A minute passed, Rohini resisting the urge to throw the apple at her brother's stupid face.

"I don't see how you could help me." Harry finally said, leaning against their desk, frowning.

"Oh, he can talk!" Rohini said sarcastically and Harry rolled his eyes.

"No need to take it this way." He said.

"No need to be so doubtful." Said Rohini before sitting up. "If I say I can help, then I probably can."

"So modest." Harry said, though his features were softer already. "Alright; I'm listening."

"Good."

Rohini jumped off her bed and walked to the window instead, sitting on the edge of it. She didn't miss the way Harry's eyes narrowed, as if he was worried she'd fall backward.

"So," Rohini said, clapping her hands, "what should we talk about first? Trial? Or the Howler?"

"Howler first."

"Knew it. I have two hypotheses; it was either Dumbledore, or Sirius."

A second passed.

"What, that's it?" Harry said, looking slightly disappointed.

"What do you mean, 'that's it'? Come on, it's obvious! They both want us to stay here at all cost; who else would take the time to write to Aunt Petunia about it, if not them?"

"I didn't recognise the voice." Harry pointed out. Rohini waved her hand.

"They probably casted a spell so that it wouldn't be recognisable for us. Honestly, who else do you want it to be? Peeves?"

"Ahahah." Harry said, deadpan, before pinching his lips, thinking about it. "Alright; maybe you're right. Better than nothing."

"Thanks." Rohini said flatly. "Show more enthusiasm, next time."

"What about the trial, then?" Harry asked quickly.

Rohini take a moment to think, looking at the setting sun.

"More delicate subject, of course. But surely, if there's a trial, there will need witnesses, right? So I will probably be called to give my own testimony or something. I will agree with you, say we were attacked by three Dementors that were ready to kiss our souls away. If they don't trust us, I will ask them to give me some Veritaserum or to use a Pensieve; this way, they will be forced to believe us."

"You've already think about all of this?" Harry said, impressed.

"Well, I've always wondered of different things would have been for Sirius if they had used that during his own trial." Rohini said bitterly.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Rohini sighed. "But what is done is done; I doubt he will ever get a second chance, not when the Minister is holding a witch hunt against us."

Thranduil jumped on Rohini's laps, meowing.

"Want to go for a walk, baby boy?" She asked the cat, rubbing his chin. "'Suppose it should be fine, since it's not night time, not yet…"

"Wait, hold on a second… you're _not_ considering leaving the house, are you?" Harry asked, frowning. "Rohini!"

"What? I'm staying in this street, I promise! Just needs to walk a bit, my legs are all crampy from staying in this stupid bedroom!"

"But- the order was to stay at Private Drive!" Harry reminded her. "I still have those letters, if you've forgotten already."

"Of course I haven't forgotten!" Rohini scoffed. "They want us to stay at Private Drive; I'm staying at Private Drive; just, in front of the house, you know?"

"You're so irritating." Harry grunted. "You know what? Whatever. If you get attacked by Dementors, then it's your fault. Good luck keeping your soul without magic."

"Don't be like that." Rohini groaned. "I swear, it's only for, like, three minutes! You will be able to watch me by the window!"

"Whatever." Harry repeated stubbornly. Rohini raised her eyes to the sky.

Stupid brother.

"Come, Thrandy; let's go be rebellious teens." Rohini said, holding her cat over her shoulder.

"He is a cat." Harry pointed out dully. "And you're going to break a leg if you do that."

"Will I?" Rohini said lightly as she started escaping by the window. "I just need to…. Yes, now that I've grabbed that…"

"Rohini, I swear, if you break something-"

"The only think I'll break is your ego once you'll see how amazing I am." Rohini said as executed a perilous move; her left foot slipped and she barely caught herself in time with a yelp.

"Rohi!" Harry shouted, leaning out of the window.

"I'm fine, easy peasy." Rohini said, though her heart was definitely beating faster. "See? Almost at the tree level-"

Two minutes later, and she landed safely on the ground.

"See?" She said with a cheeky grin as Harry gave her an annoyed look. "Come on! I deserve applause for that!"

Harry only made a rude gesture at her.

"Do you think Dumbledore will let me go live with Sirius if I'm expelled?"

Rohini grunted; it was the fourth night since the attack, and she was trying to study for Potions, which was her biggest weakness so far.

"I'm serious, Rohi."

"Hi Serious, I'm occupied. Please leave a message; I'll call you back tomorrow morning."

"Ahah. Very funny."

"I know, I'm hilarious. Hey!" Rohini yelled as Harry threw his pillow at her face. "Urg, fine. You want my opinion? Try to leave me behind to go live with Padfoot, and I will never forgive you. You're _not_ gonna get expelled, and if you do, then I will follow you, wherever you go."

"What about your special training with Professor McGonagall? Padma? Being a top student? You can't give up all of this for me." Harry pointed out.

"One more reason for you not to get expelled then." Rohini said with a wink, making her brother groan.

The door suddenly opened and Uncle Vernon came in, wearing his best suit and an expression of enormous smugness.

"What do you want?" Rohini asked coldly.

"We're going out." He said.

The twins exchanged a confused glance.

"What?"

"Not you two!" Uncle Vernon said quickly, looking at them disdainfully, as if the idea of being seen with them was particularly annoying. "We- that is to say, your aunt, Dudley and I."

"Fine." Harry said dully.

"Whatever." Rohini shrugged, going back to her book.

"You are forbidden to leave this bedroom, or touch the television, the stereo or any of our possessions."

"Do we look like we're getting anywhere?" Rohini asked. Uncle Vernon's eyes narrowed. Rohini didn't look away.

"You are not to steal food from the fridge, and I'm going to lock your door."

Rohini snorted; it has been a long time since she had learned how to pick up locks.

"You do that." Harry said with a yawn.

Uncle Vernon glared at them, clearly suspicious of this lack of argument, then stomped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Rohini listened to Uncle Vernon's footsteps walking heavily down the stairs. A few minutes later she heard the slamming of car doors, the rumble of an engine, and the unmistakeable sound of the car sweeping out of the drive.

"Thanks Merlin, they're gone." Rohini sighed as she pulled a box from under her bed and took out a hair pin from it. "How much time do you think I'll need?"

"Barely two minutes." Harry said and Rohini gave him a proud grin before standing up and working on the door's lock.

Indeed, it didn't take too much time for Rohini to casually get downstairs, thinking about the ice cream she had saw Uncle Vernon hide behind the frozen vegetables. She was at the bottom of the stairs when she heard it: a loud crash in the kitchen, followed by voices.

Her hand went to her pocket when Rohini realised that she was wearing her pyjamas, and hadn't taken her wand with her for fridges weren't human eaters.

"Shit…" She whispered, leaning closer to the wall, grabbing the broom Aunt Petunia had left in the hallway.

But before she could do anything-

"Don't be foolish, girl and let the broom down."

Rohini jumped as she recognised Professor Moody's voice, and she felt her heart beats getting faster as she took a look inside the living room.

"Professor!" Rohini said, pleasantly surprised. "And- And I have no idea who you are." She said awkwardly when her eyes fell upon the rest of the group, who waved at her. "Oh, wait- Professor Lupin, is that you?"

"Hello Rohini." Said Professor Lupin, coming closer and smiling softly.

"What are you doing here?" Rohini asked, a huge grin on her face. "Wow, that's- gosh, I didn't expect that!"

"We've come to take you away." Professor Lupin said and Rohini giggled at how _chevalresque_ it sounded.

"Rohini, are you ok- Professor Moody, Professor Lupin!" Harry said, looking as taken aback as Rohini. "How-?"

"Why are we all standing in the dark?" said an unfamiliar woman's voice.

"Oh, right." Rohini said quickly before turning the lights on, making everybody grunt at the sudden brightness. "Oops, sorry!"

Remus Lupin stood nearest to the twins. Though still quite young, Lupin looked tired and rather ill; he had more grey hairs than when Rohini had last said good-bye to him and his robes were more patched and shabbier than ever. Nevertheless, he was smiling broadly at them.

"Oooh, they looks just like I thought they would!" said the witch who had spoken before. She looked the youngest there; she had a pale heart-shaped face, dark twinkling eyes, and short spiky hair that was a violent shade of violet. Rohini liked her immediately.

"Yeah, I see what you mean." said a bald black wizard standing furthest back; he had a deep, slow voice and wore a single gold hoop in his ear. "They look exactly like James, even Rohini!"

"Except the eyes." said a wheezy-voiced, silver-haired wizard at the back. "They have-"

"Our mother's eyes, yeah." Said the twins in unison.

Mad-Eye Moody, who had long grizzled grey hair and a large chunk missing from his nose, was squinting suspiciously at both twins through his mismatched eyes. One eye was small, dark and beady, the other large, round and electric blue-the magical eye that could see through walls, doors, and the back of Moody's own head.

"Are you quite sure it's them, Lupin?" he growled. "It'd be a nice lookout if we bring back some Death Eaters impersonating the Potters. We ought to ask 'em something only the real Potters would know. Unless anyone brought any Veritaserum?"

"Why would Death Eaters impersonate us, at Private Drive of all places?" Rohini asked and Harry elbowed her. Thinking about what she had just say, Rohini blushed. "Sorry Professor Moody, I didn't mean to-"

"Harry, what form does your Patronus take?" Lupin asked, saving Rohini from her own clumsiness.

"A stag." said Harry nervously.

"And mine is a blackbuck." Rohini added.

"That's them, Mad-Eye." said Lupin with a smile before helding out his hand and shook Harry's.

Rohini looked around and felt suddenly uncomfortable when she realised she hadn't shower in two days, hadn't bother to comb her hair today, and was currently wearing her most childish pair of pyjamas. What a great first Impression of the Twin who lived…

"Was it planed? To come rescue us?" Rohini asked, trying to flatten her wild locks with her hand. "Neat."

"Lucky the Dursleys left…" Harry mumbled.

"Lucky, ha!" said the violet-haired woman. "It was me who lured them out of the way. Sent a letter by Muggle post telling them they'd been short-listed for the All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. They're heading off to the prize-giving right now... Or they think they are."

Rohini imagined her Uncle's face when he will realise he had been fooled, and laughed.

"Awesome." She said with a grin at the witch who gave her a little wink.

"We are leaving, aren't we?" Harry asked, looking hopeful. "Soon?"

"Almost at once," said Lupin, "we're just waiting for the all-clear."

"Where are we going? The Burrow?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Not The Burrow, no," said Lupin, motioning the teens towards the kitchen; the little knot of wizards followed, all still eyeing Harry mostly curiously. "Too risky. We've set up Headquarters somewhere un-detectable. It's taken a while..."

Mad-Eye Moody was now sitting at the kitchen table swigging from a hip flask, his magical eye spinning in all directions, taking in the Dursleys' many labour-saving appliances.

"Extremely dull, don't you think?" Rohini asked lightly. "Tea, anyone?"

A few hands were raised and Rohini hurried to hide in the opposite corner of the kitchen.

As she made the water boil, she heard Professor Lupin introducing the rest of the group to Harry.

"This is Nymphadora-"

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus," said the young witch with a shudder, "it's Tonks."

"Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only." finished Lupin.

Rohini didn't hear what Tonks say after, for the water was boiling stronger now. She didn't catch the rest of the names, but knew too well that she would have probably forgotten them one second later anyway.

"Here, tea's ready." Rohini said, handing up cups to those who asked for tea.

"We're just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to set off," said Lupin, glancing out of the kitchen window. "We've got about fifteen minutes."

"Very clean, aren't they, these Muggles?" said Tonks, who was looking around the kitchen with great interest. "My dad's Muggle-born and he's a right old slob. I suppose it varies, just as it does with wizards?"

"Yeah, you should see our bedroom." Rohini laughed and Harry gave her an annoyed glance before turning back to Professor Lupin.

"What's going on exactly, I haven't heard anything from anyone, what's Vol-?"

Several of the witches and wizards made odd hissing noises; one of the wizards dropped his hat, and Moody growled, "Shut up!"

"Excuse me?" Rohini said, frowning; only she was allowed to tell Harry to shut up.

"'Not discussing anything here, it's too risky," said Moody, turning his normal eye on Harry. His magical eye remained focused on the ceiling. "Damn it," he added angrily, putting a hand up to the magical eye, "it keeps getting stuck- ever since that scum wore it-"

And with a nasty squelching sound much like a plunger being pulled from a sink, he popped out his eye.

"Ewww!" Rohini grimaced, looking away.

"Mad-Eye, you do know that's disgusting, don't you?" said Tonks conversationally.

"Get me a glass of water, would you, Harry." requested Moody.

Rohini was glad he asked her brother for she would have never get close to the disgusting magical eye he was holding.

Harry crossed to the dishwasher, took out a clean glass and filled it with water at the sink as Rohini realised she didn't feel like drinking her tea anymore.

"Cheers." said Moody, when Harry handed him the glass. He dropped the magical eyeball into the water and prodded it up and down; the eye whizzed around, staring at them all in turn. "I want three hundred and sixty degrees visibility on the return journey."

"What, are we, like, taking a car or something?" Rohini asked, confused.

"Brooms," said Lupin. "Only way. You're too young to Apparate, they'll be watching the Floo Network and it's more than our life's worth to set up an unauthorised Portkey."

"Brooms?" Harry and Rohini repeated, though their enthusiasm was clearly different.

"Remus says you're a good flier." said the black wizard in his deep voice to Harry.

'He's excellent," said Lupin, who was checking his watch. "Rohini- well…"

"I'm more comfortable with Hippogriffs" Rohini admitted with a gulp. It was the polite way to say she hated using brooms with a fierce passion. "Guess Harry and I should just – ah- gonna get our stuffs packed?"

"I'll come and help you." said Tonks brightly.

She followed the twins back into the hall and up the stairs, looking around with much curiosity and interest.

"Funny place," she said. "It's a bit too clean, d'you know what I mean? Bit unnatural. Oh, this is better," she added, as they entered the twins' bedroom and Harry turned on the light.

"I…guess?" Rohini said, suddenly really self-conscious. Luckily for her, Thranduil distracted Tonks while the twins started picking up books and throwing them hastily into their trunk.

Tonks paused to look critically at her reflection in the mirror on the inside of the door.

"You know, I don't think violet's really my colour," she said pensively, tugging at a lock of spiky hair. "D'you think it makes me look a bit peaky?"

"Er-" said Harry, looking up at her over the top of Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland.

"I like it." Rohini said with a shrug.

Tonks screwed up her eyes in a strained expression as though she was struggling to remember something. A second later, her hair had turned bubble-gum pink.

"How did you do that?" said Harry, gaping at her as she opened her eyes again.

"Neat!" Rohini gasped. "You're a metamo-something right?"

"Metamorphmagus,yeah!" Tonks said, looking back at her reflection and turning her head so that she could see her hair from all directions. "It means I can change my appearance at will," she added, spotting Harry's puzzled expression in the mirror behind her. "I was born one. I got top marks in Concealment and Disguise during Auror training without any study at all, it was great."

"You're an Auror?" said Harry, impressed.

"Yeah," said Tonks, looking proud. "Kingsley is as well; he's a bit higher up than me, though. I only qualified a year ago. Nearly failed on Stealth and Tracking. I'm dead clumsy, did you hear me break that plate when we arrived downstairs?"

"Can you learn how to be a Metamorphmagus?" Harry asked her, straightening up, completely forgetting about packing.

"If you want pink hair, I can dye yours." Rohini said cheekily.

Tonks chuckled.

"Bet you wouldn't mind hiding that scar sometimes, eh?"

Her eyes found the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead.

"No, I wouldn't mind." Harry mumbled, turning away. Rohini knew he didn't like people staring at his scar, which she understood.

"Well, you'll have to learn the hard way, I'm afraid." said Tonks. "Metamorphmagi are really rare, they're born, not made. Most wizards need to use a wand, or potions, to change their appearance. But we've got to get going, we're supposed to be packing." she added guiltily, looking around at all the mess on the floor.

Rohini grimaced in shame.

"It'll be much quicker if I-pack!" cried Tonks, waving her wand in a long, sweeping movement over the floor.

Books, clothes, telescope, and scales all soared into the air and flew pell-mell into the two trunks. Rohini raised an eyebrow.

"It's not very neat." said Tonks, walking over to the trunk and looking down at the jumble inside. "My mum's got this knack of getting stuff to fit itself in neatly- she even gets the socks to fold themselves- but I've never mastered how she does it- it's a kind of flick-"She flicked her wand hopefully.

One of Harry's socks gave a feeble sort of wiggle and flopped back on top of the mess in the trunk.

Rohini couldn't help but laugh at this pitiful attempt.

"Ah, well," said Tonks, slamming the trunk's lid shut, "at least it's all in. That could do with a bit of cleaning, too." She pointed her wand at Hedwig's cage. "Scourgify." A few feathers and droppings vanished. "Well, that's a bit better- I've never quite got the hang of these householdy sort of spells. Right-got everything you two? Cauldron? Broom? Wow! A Firebolt!"

Her eyes widened as they fell on the broomstick in Harry's right hand. It was his pride and joy, a gift from Sirius. Rohini was vaguely aware that it was one of the best broomsticks in the world, but she still couldn't feel interested in it.

"And I'm still riding a Comet Two Sixty," said Tonks enviously. "Ah well ... wand still in your jeans? Both buttocks still on? OK, let's go. Locomotor trunk."

"I'll join you in a minute, just gonna get dressed first." Rohini said quickly but Tonks waved her hand.

"Just wear a coat for the ride. Nice pyj', by the way."

"Ok." Rohini said, blushing, as she grabbed one of Aunt Petunia's old coats. "Thranduil, sorry boy, you need to go back in your cage for a few minutes-"

As to be expected, putting the cat in took efforts from all three of them, and gave them a few scratches.

Back in the kitchen Moody had replaced his eye, which was spinning so fast after its cleaning it made Rohini feel nauseous to look at it.

"Excellent," said Lupin, looking up as Tonks and the twins entered. "We've got about a minute, I think. We should probably get out into the garden so we're ready. Harry, Rohini, I've left a letter telling your aunt and uncle not to worry-"

"They won't," said Rohini flately.

"-that you're both safe-"

"That'll just depress them."

"-and you'll see them next summer."

"Awesome." Rohini grunted.

"Do we have to?" Harry asked, showing as much enthusiasm as Rohini.

Lupin smiled but made no answer.

"I just realised- I have no broom of my own." Rohini said.

"You can ride behind one of us." Tonks assured her.

"Oh, ok." Rohini said, surprised that she hadn't think of that herself.

"Come here, boy," said Moody gruffly, beckoning Harry towards him with his wand. "I need to Disillusion you."

"You need to what?" said Harry nervously.

"Disillusionment Charm," said Moody, raising his wand. "Lupin says you've got an Invisibility Cloak, but it won't stay on while we're flying; this'll disguise you better. Here you go-"

He rapped Harry hard on the top of the head and Rohini gasped; it wasn't that Harry was invisible; rather like it had simply taken on the exact colour and texture of the kitchen unit behind him, like a chameleon.

"Your turn." Moody grunted at Rohini who trotted toward him, feeling genuinely curious about the spell. Mad Eye did the same that with Harry, and Rohini gasped as she felt a curious sensation as though Moody had just smashed an egg on top of her head; cold trickles seemed to be running down her body from the point the wand had struck.

"Neat…" Rohini whispered, looking at her strange body.

"Come on," said Moody, unlocking the back door with his wand.

They all stepped outside on to Uncle Vernon's beautifully kept lawn.

"Clear night," grunted Moody, his magical eye scanning the heavens. "Could've done with a bit more cloud cover. Right, you," he barked at the twins who straightened up their position, "we're going to be flying in close formation. Tonks'll be right in front of you, keep close on her tail. Lupin'll be covering you from below. I'm going to be behind you. The rest'll be circling us. We don't break ranks for anything, got me? If one of us is killed-"

"Wait, what?" Rohini asked, frowning.

"Is that likely?" Harry asked apprehensively, but Moody ignored them.

"-the others keep flying, don't stop, don't break ranks. If they take out all of us and you survive, Harry, Rohini, the rear guards are standing by to take over; keep flying east and they'll join you."

Rohini gulped and stepped closer to Harry.

"Stop being so cheerful, Mad-Eye, he'll think we're not taking this seriously." said Tonks, as she strapped Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage into a harness hanging from her broom.

"Here, I'll take care of this." Said another witch to Rohini, taking Thranduil's cage where the cat was still hissing, and Professor Lupin took her trunk.

"I'm just telling the kids the plan," growled Moody. "Our job's to deliver them safely to Headquarters and if we die in the attempt-"

"No one's going to die." said the bald wizard in his deep, calming voice.

"Mount your brooms, that's the first signal!" said Lupin sharply, pointing into the sky.

Far, far above them, a shower of bright red sparks had flared among the stars. Harry swung his right leg over his Firebolt, gripped its handle tightly then turned to Rohini.

"Well, you coming?" He asked.

"Are you sure it will be able to carry us both?" Rohini asked warily; it was stupid, for she knew the broom was enchanted and could probably carry twice the twins' weight, but she still felt nervous.

Harry scoffed and waved at her to just take place behind him.

Rohini grabbed him tightly by the waist, making him wheeze.

"Second signal, let's go!" said Lupin loudly as more sparks, green this time, exploded high above them.

Harry kicked off hard from the ground and Rohini couldn't help but yelped as she closed her eyes.

The cool night air rushed through her hair as the neat square gardens of Privet Drive fell away, shrinking rapidly into a patchwork of dark greens and black. Rohini could feel Harry's intense happiness as he finally fly once again.

"Hard left, hard left, there's a Muggle looking up!" shouted Moody from behind them. Rohini felt Harry swerving and she clenched her teeth. "We need more height... Give it another quarter of a mile!"

"Oh god, oh god, oh god…" Rohini grimaced as they soared upwards, her stomach feeling quite funny.

Harry suddenly laughed, making her jump.

"Don't make fun of me!" Rohini groaned.

"It's not you, dummy! It's the Dursleys… probably heading back to the empty house by now, full of rage about the nonexistent Lawn Competition!"

Rohini couldn't help but join her brother and laugh at the thought. The sudden merriness of the moment gave her enough courage to carefully open her eyes.

"Wow!" She couldn't help but gasp, "I'd never thought the night would be so beautiful from up there!"

"If you're not scared anymore, please stop holding me so tightly, I can't breathe!" Harry shouted, for the wind whipping their face made it hard to be heard.

"Bearing south!" shouted Mad-Eye. "Town ahead!"

They soared right to avoid passing directly over the glittering spiderweb of lights below and Rohini yelled again before laughing; it was a thrilling sensation, making her slightly dizzy.

"Bear southeast and keep climbing, there's some low cloud ahead we can lose ourselves in!" called Moody.

"We're not going through clouds!" shouted Tonks angrily, "we'll get soaked, Mad-Eye!"

Rohini silently agreed with her for she wasn't kin on getting her pyjamas soaked, and she could feel Harry shivering, though she wasn't sure if it was from excitement or due to the chillness of the night.

They altered their course every now and then according to Mad-Eye's instructions. Rohini was now hoping they would land soon, for she couldn't feel her fingers anymore and she feared that Thranduil will get sick from the flight.

The guard around them was circling continuously like giant birds of prey.

"You ok?" Rohini asked Harry, trying to be loud enough for him to hear.

"Yeah! You?"

"Deadly cold…"

"Turning southwest!" yelled Moody. "We want to avoid the motorway!"

"Gosh, I hope there's a fire place where we're heading…" Rohini mumbled.

"We ought to double back for a bit, just to make sure we're not being followed!" Moody shouted.

"ARE YOU MAD, MAD-EYE?" Tonks screamed from the front. "We're all frozen to our brooms! If we keep going off-course we're not going to get there until next week! Besides, we're nearly there now!"

"Time to start the descent!" came Lupin's voice. "Follow Tonks, Harry!"

Harry followed Tonks into a dive and Rohini shrieked, closing her eyes tightly again and praying for her stomach to hold still.

"Here we go!" called Tonks, and a few seconds later she had landed.

Harry touched down right behind her and Rohini shakily dismounted on a patch of unkempt grass in the middle of a small square. Tonks was already unbuckling Harry's trunk. Shivering, the twins looked around. The grimy fronts of the surrounding houses were not welcoming; some of them had broken windows, glimmering dully in the light from the streetlamps, paint was peeling from many of the doors and heaps of rubbish lay outside several sets of front steps.

"Are we in London?" Rohini asked, her teeth clacking as she rubbed her arms.

Moody was rummaging in his cloak, his gnarled hands clumsy with cold.

"Got it." he muttered, raising what looked like a silver cigarette lighter into the air and clicking it.

The nearest streetlamp went out with a pop. He clicked the unlighter again; the next lamp went out; he kept clicking until every lamp in the square was extinguished and the only remaining light came from curtained windows and the sickle moon overhead.

"Neat." Rohini breathed.

"Borrowed it from Dumbledore," growled Moody, pocketing the Put-Outer. "That'll take care of any Muggles looking out of the window, see? Now come on, quick."

He took Harry by the arm and led him from the patch of grass and waved at Rohini to follow. He leaded them across the road and on to the pavement; Lupin and Tonks followed, carrying the twins' trunks between them, the rest of the guard, all with their wands out, flanking them. Rohini grabbed Thranduil's cage where her cat seemed ready to faint, and she whispered reassuring words to him.

The muffled pounding of a stereo was coming from an upper window in the nearest house. A pungent smell of rotting rubbish came from the pile of bulging bin-bags just inside the broken gate.

"Here," Moody muttered, thrusting a piece of parchment towards Harry's Disillusioned hand and holding his lit wand close to it, so as to illuminate the writing. "Read quickly and memorise."

Harry looked down at the piece of paper and Rohini raised her chin to read above his arm. The narrow handwriting was vaguely familiar. It said:

 _The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._


	4. Chapter 4

"What's the Order of the-?" Harry began.

"Not here, boy!" snarled Moody. "Wait till we're inside!"

"But there's no number twelve." Rohini pointed out, slightly frustrated, as Mad Eye pulled the piece of parchment out of Harry's hand and set fire to it with his wand-tip.

"Think about what you've just memorised." said Lupin quietly.

"Alright." Rohini sighed, before thinking about the strange message.

It all went really fast after that; a battered door emerged out of nowhere between numbers eleven and thirteen, followed swiftly by dirty walls and grimy windows. It was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing those on either side out of its way. The stereo in number eleven thudded on. Apparently the Muggles inside hadn't felt anything.

"Wow, neat." Rohini gasped as Moody pushed the twins with a grunt.

It was a very strange house; worn stone steps, its black paint shabby and scratched, the silver doorknocker in the form of a twisted snake… There was no keyhole or letterbox either.

Rohini knocked at the door, not sure of what else to do. Nothing happened though, and she looked at Harry who just shrugged tiredly.

Professor Lupin gently pushed them out of the way and pulled out his wand before tapping the door once. Rohini heard many loud, metallic clicks and what sounded like the clatter of a chain. The door creaked open.

"I'll try to remember that, I guess." Rohini mumbled, rubbing her arms harder as a shiver ran down her spine. The place looked so gloomy, she wasn't sure she'll ever be able to dry out in there; more like, moss would grow on her, and she will become a swamp crazy witch of some kind.

"Get in quick, Harry,Rohini, " Lupin whispered, "but don't go far inside and don't touch anything."

Harry stepped over the threshold into the almost total darkness of the hall and Rohini followed closely, resisting the urge to grab her brother by the arm.

She took a shaky breath, and grimaced; she could smell damp, dust, and a sweetish, rotting smell; the place had the feeling of a dismayed building. Moody limped inside and closed the front door, so that the darkness in the hall became complete.

"Here-"

He rapped Rohini hard over the head with his wand; the girl felt as though something hot was trickling down her back this time and knew that the Disillusionment Charm must have lifted. Still, she wished he would have used a spell to warm her up instead, for her teeth were shaking.

Rohini barely heard a soft hissing noise and then old-fashioned gas lamps sputtered into life all along the walls, casting a flickering insubstantial light over the peeling wallpaper and threadbare carpet of a long, gloomy hallway, where a cobwebby chandelier glimmered overhead and age-blackened portraits hung crooked on the walls. Blinking, Rohini took a closer look on her left and saw that the chandelier and the candelabra on a rickety table were shaped like snake, too.

"Oh gosh, don't tell me we're in the Malfoy's manor, or something." Rohini said. "There're snakes everywhere!"

"Hush, girl." Professor Moody grunted.

"I was just trying to light up the mood." Rohini mumbled. She was feeling quite sour now, and just wanted to change into another set of clothes and go to bed.

There were hurried footsteps and Mrs. Weasley emerged from a door at the far end of the hall. She was beaming in welcome as she hurried towards them, though she was rather thinner and paler than she had been last time they met.

"Oh, Harry, it's lovely to see you!" she whispered, pulling him into a rib-cracking hug before holding him at arm's length and examining him critically. "You're looking peaky; you need feeding up, but you'll have to wait a bit for dinner, I'm afraid..."

She turned to Rohini, and brought her into this motherly hug. "It's good to see you too, Rohini! Did you grow up a bit over the summer? Oh, you let your hair grow, lovely, lovely!"

She turned to the gang of wizards behind them and whispered urgently, "He's just arrived, the meeting's started."

The wizards behind the twins all made noises of interest and excitement and began filing past them towards the door through which Mrs. Weasley had just come. Harry and Rohini made to follow Lupin, but Mrs. Weasley held them back.

"No, you two, the meeting's only for members of the Order. Ron and Hermione are upstairs, you can wait with them until the meeting's over, then we'll have dinner. And keep your voice down in the hall." she added in an urgent whisper.

"Why?"

"I don't want anything to wake up."

"You what now?" Rohini said in a slightly pitched voice.

"I'll explain later, I've got to hurry, I'm supposed to be at the meeting- I'll just show you where you're sleeping."

Pressing her finger to her lips, she led them on tiptoe past a pair of long, moth-eaten curtains, and after skirting a large umbrella stand that looked as though it had been made from a severed troll's leg, they started up the dark staircase, passing a row of shrunken heads mounted on plaques on the wall. A closer look showed Rohini that the heads belonged to house-elves. All of them had the same rather snout-like nose.

"Mrs. Weasley, what does this mean? It's like a House of Horrors." Rohini squealed, grabbing Harry.

"Ron and Hermione will explain everything, dear, I've really got to dash," Mrs. Weasley whispered distractedly. "There, you're the door on the right. I'll call you when it's over."

And she hurried off downstairs again.

"No way I'm gonna spend the night here." Rohini said flatly. "I'm pretty sure those House Elves are haunting the place and will try to kill us overnight."

"Oh, shut up." Harry grunted and the twins crossed the dingy landing, turned the bedroom doorknob, which was shaped like a snake's head, and opened the door.

If Rohini had hope for the rest of the house to look more welcoming, she was quickly disappointed. The door opened on a gloomy high-ceilinged, twin-bedded room. But she didn't have time to notice anything else for then there was a loud twittering noise, followed by an even louder shriek, and her vision was completely obscured by a large quantity of very bushy hair- Hermione had thrown herself on to them in a hug that nearly knocked the twins flat, while Ron's tiny owl, Pig, zoomed excitedly round and round their heads.

"Hermione!" Rohini gasped with a laugh. "Gosh, you're stronger than I remembered!"

"Ron, Ron they're here! We didn't hear you arrive! Oh, how are you? Are you all right? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have, I know our letters were useless- but we couldn't tell you anything, Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got things to tell us- the Dementors! When we heard- and that Ministry hearing- it's just outrageous, I've looked it all up, they can't expel you, they just can't, there's provision in the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life-threatening situations-"

"Don't fret, Hermione, I did my research too." Rohini assured her friend.

"Let them breathe, Hermione," said Ron, grinning as he closed the door behind the twins. He seemed to have grown several more inches during their month apart, making him taller and more gangly looking than ever, though the long nose, bright red hair and freckles were the same. Rohini pouted; when will Ron stop growing? She would never be able to catch up if it kept going like this.

Still beaming, Hermione let go of the twins, but before she could say another word there was a soft whooshing sound and something white soared from the top of a dark wardrobe and landed gently on Harry's shoulder; it was Hedwig.

There was a strained silence in which Harry stroked Hedwig automatically, not looking at either of the others. Rohini was now dancing on one foot to another, not sure of what to say to make the situation less awkward; she had a vague idea of what was bothering her brother, but didn't feel like it was her right to speak up first.

"He seemed to think it was best," said Hermione rather breathlessly. "Dumbledore, I mean."

"Right." said Harry, glancing at Hermione's hands, and Rohini frowned when she saw strange thin scars on them.

"Hermione, what happened?"

"Oh, that- Hedwig wasn't happy with us, when she arrived; kept biting us both."

"Outch." Rohini said with an apologetic expression. She waited for Harry to say he was sorry, but her brother said nothing and Rohini gave him a judgmental side glance.

"I think Dumbledore thought you were safest with the Muggles-"Ron began.

"Yeah?" said Harry, raising his eyebrows. Rohini winced, knowing what was coming. "Have either of you been attacked by Dementors this summer?"

"Well, no- but that's why he's had people from the Order of the Phoenix tailing you all the time-"

"Didn't work that well, though, did it?" said Harry, obviously doing his utmost to keep his voice even. "Had to look after myself after all, didn't I?"

"Hey, don't forget about me." Rohini said shortly, but Harry ignored her.

"He was so angry," said Hermione, in an almost awestruck voice. "Dumbledore. We saw him. When he found out Mundungus had left before his shift had ended. He was scary."

Rohini had a feeling she had been right about the Howler; it must have been Dumbledore, then.

"Well, I'm glad he left," Harry said coldly. "If he hadn't, I wouldn't have done magic and Dumbledore would probably have left us at Privet Drive all summer."

"I'm gonna go see if I can find Ginny." Rohini said quickly, pointing at the door but nobody stopped her; the Gryffindor trio wasn't paying attention to her anymore, looking tensely at each other. "Alright, see ya later."

And as quick as a mouse, Rohini escaped the suffocating, gloomy room with a sigh. She had barely taken a few steps that Harry's furious voice beamed through the house.

"SO YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE MEETINGS, BIG DEAL! YOU'VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN'T YOU? YOU'VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME, I'VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS' FOR A MONTH! AND I'VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU TWO'VE EVER MANAGED AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT- WHO SAVED THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED BOTH YOUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS? ME!"

"Oh god, Harry." Rohini winced, hiding her face in her hands and praying for Harry to stop before it was too late; it was as if every bitter and resentful thought Harry had had in the past month was pouring out of him.

"WHO HAD TO GET TO SEE HIS SISTER PAST DRAGONS AND EVERY OTHER FOUL THING LAST YEAR? HAD TO LISTEN TO HER SCREAMING AT NIGHT BECAUSE HE CAME BACK AND HE KILLED CEDRIC IN FRONT OF HER? ME!"

Rohini leaned against the wall, biting her lips and clenching her fists to stop them from shaking. It felt like she shouldn't be allowed to hear that, but it was hard to ignore when your brother was screaming on top of his lungs. She hoped whoever was giving a meeting downstairs will not be able to hear that.

"BUT WHY SHOULD ANY OF US KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO TELL ME OR ROHI WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING? CAN'T'VE WANTED TO THAT MUCH, CAN YOU, OR YOU'D HAVE SENT ME AN OWL, BUT DUMBLEDORE MADE YOU SWEAR- WEEKS I'VE BEEN STUCK IN PRIVET DRIVE, NICKING PAPERS OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON- I SUPPOSE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL LAUGH, HAVEN'T YOU, ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER-"

"Did Harry hit puberty during summer? His voice sure is more powerful than we remember it to be."

Raising her head, Rohini smiled weakly when he spotted the Weasley twins –Fred and George- coming her way.

"Hi, you two." She said, waving. "Yeah, I miss when he sounded like a baby. They grow up so fast, nowadays."

The three of them chuckled.

Fred stood closer to Rohini, and patted her head.

"He isn't the only one growing. You gained a few inches too, haven't you?"

"Glad it's noticeable." Rohini smiled, straightening her position. "Soon, I'll be taller than you."

"As if." George laughed. "We're Hagrid size next to you."

A moment passed, and Rohini realised Harry had stop shutting.

"What is this place, anyway? It looks like a Slytherin's hot summer dream."

"Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix." said the twins at once.

Rohini raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, Rohini, as green as a bean. It's a secret society; Dumbledore's in charge, he founded it. It's the people who fought against Voldy during the previous war."

"Are you two a part of it?" Rohini asked, intrigued. The twins exchanged a mischievous grin.

"Mum said we were too young –of course-, but… show her, Fred!"

"We have invented… Extendable Ears!" Fred said, pulling out something out of his pocket that made Rohini yell. "Don't worry, we promise it's not made of liveable human ears."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Rohini said, staring at the ear lying on the boy's palm.

"And it's not the only cool thing about us." George said with a wink, before the twins disappeared in a loud crack.

"ARGH!"

Rohini heard her friends yell and two loud cracks, meaning the twins had materialised out of thin air in the middle of the room.

The door opened and Fred winked at her.

"Impressive." Rohini laughed, coming back in.

"Stop doing that!" Hermione said weakly to the twins.

"Hello, Harry," said George, beaming at him. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out," said Fred, also beaming. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."

"You two passed your Apparation tests, then?" asked Harry grumpily as Rohini puffed.

"With distinction." said Fred.

"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs." said Ron.

"Time is Galleons, little brother," said Fred. "Anyway, Harry, you're interfering with reception. Extendable Ears," he added in response to Harry's raised eyebrows, and held up the ear from earlier, tied up to a flesh coloured string, "We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs."

The door opened and a long mane of red hair appeared.

"Oh, hello, Harry!" said Ron's younger sister, Ginny, brightly. "I thought I heard your voice. Rohini!"

"Ginny!" Rohini shouted, running into her friend's arms and hugging her tightly with a laugh. "Look at you, you're even more beautiful than ever!"

"Oh, hush." Ginny said, blushing.

Turning to Fred and George, she said, "It's no-go with the Extendable Ears, she's gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door."

"How d'you know?" said George, looking crestfallen.

"Tonks told me how to find out," said Ginny. "You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the door's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it, so there's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap."

"Smart ass." Rohini grinned.

Fred heaved a deep sigh.

"Shame. I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

"Snape?!" said Harry quickly. "Is he here?"

"Yikes." Rohini grimaced.

"Yeah," said George, carefully closing the door and sitting down on one of the beds; Fred and Ginny followed. "Giving a report. Top secret."

"Git." said Fred idly.

"He's on our side now." said Hermione reprovingly.

Rohini scoffed as Ron snorted.

"Bill doesn't like him, either." said Ginny, as though that settled the matter.

"To be fair, I doubt Snape like anybody else but his own ugly nose." Rohini added with a shrug.

Harry sank on to the bed opposite the others and Rohini followed.

"Is Bill here?" he asked. "I thought he was working in Egypt?"

"He applied for a desk job so he could come home and work for the Order," said Fred. "'says he misses the tombs, but," he smirked, 'there are compensations..."

"Like what?" Rohini asked, intrigued; she couldn't see what would be cooler than cursed tombs.

"Remember old Fleur Delacour?" said George. "She's got a job at Gringotts to eemprove 'er Eeenglish-"

"-and Bill's been giving her a lot of private lessons." sniggered Fred.

"Like, the dating kind?" Rohini asked and everybody giggled; they were only teens after all.

"Charlie's in the Order, too," said George, "but he's still in Romania. Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought in as possible, so Charlie's trying to make contacts on his days off."

"Couldn't Percy do that?" Harry asked.

At Harry's words, all the Weasleys and Hermione exchanged darkly significant looks.

"Whatever you do, don't mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad." Ron told Harry in a tense voice.

"Why not? Is he ok?" Rohini asked, frowning.

"Every time Percy's name's mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he's holding and Mum starts crying." Fred said.

"Wait, what?" Rohini said quickly.

"It's been awful." said Ginny sadly.

"I think we're well shot of him," said George, with an uncharacteristically ugly look on his face.

"What do you mean?"

'What's happened?' Harry said.

"Percy and Dad had a row," said Fred. "I've never seen Dad row with anyone like that. It's normally Mum who shouts..."

"It was the first week back after term ended," said Ron. "We were about to come and join the Order. Percy came home and told us he'd been promoted."

"But… isn't it great? He worked hard for that, didn't he?" Rohini said tentatively.

"Not really. We were all surprised," said George, "because Percy got into a load of trouble about Crouch, there was an inquiry and everything. They said Percy ought to have realised Crouch was off his rocker and informed a superior. But you know Percy, Crouch left him in charge, he wasn't going to complain..."

"To be fair, he wasn't the only one working for Crouch." Rohini said.

"So how come they promoted him?" Harry asked.

"That's exactly what we wondered," said Ron, "He came home really pleased with himself- even more pleased than usual, if you can imagine that- and told Dad he'd been offered a position in Fudge's own office. A really good one for someone only a year out of Hogwarts- Junior Assistant to the Minister. He expected Dad to be all impressed, I think."

"Only Dad wasn't." said Fred grimly.

"Oh no." Rohini said pitifully.

"Well, apparently Fudge has been storming round the Ministry checking that nobody's having any contact with Dumbledore." said George.

"Dumbledore's name is mud with the Ministry these days, see." said Fred. "They all think he's just making trouble saying You-Know-Who's back."

"Dad says Fudge has made it clear that anyone who's in league with Dumbledore can clear out their desks." said George.

"Trouble is, Fudge suspects Dad, he knows he's friendly with Dumbledore, and he's always thought Dad's a bit of a weirdo because of his Muggle obsession."

"He hasn't lost his job, has he?" Rohini asked quickly but thankfully, the Weasleys shook their head.

"I'm coming to that. Dad reckons Fudge only wants Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family- and Dumbledore."

Harry let out a low whistle.

"Bet Percy loved that." He said. Rohini elbowed him between the ribs.

Ron laughed in a hollow sort of way.

"He went completely berserk. He said- well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he's been having to struggle against Dad's lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad's got no ambition and that's why we've always been -you know- not had a lot of money, I mean-"

"Oh." Rohini simply said. "Crap."

"I know," said Ron in a low voice. "And it got worse. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he- Percy- knew where his loyalty lay and it was with the Ministry. And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn't belong to our family any more. And he packed his bags the same night and left. He's living here in London now."

"Well, damn." Rohini sighed. "I mean- maybe he will change his mind? You know Percy, he worked really hard for this so he probably didn't like-"

"We know Percy better than you, Rohini," Fred cut her. "Trust me, he meant every single word he said."

"Mum's been in a right state," said Ron dully. "You know- crying and stuff. She came up to London to try and talk to Percy but he slammed the door in her face. I dunno what he does if he meets Dad at work- ignores him, I s'pose."

"Percy takes the Daily Prophet seriously." said Hermione tartly, and the others all nodded. "Have- have you been getting the Daily Prophet?" Hermione asked nervously."

"Yeah, we did." said Harry.

"Have you-er- been reading it thoroughly?" Hermione asked, still more anxiously.

"Nope, it's a bunch of crap." Rohini said disdainfully. "But Harry checked if they were report of Voldemort in the headlines."

The others flinched at the sound of the name. Hermione hurried on, "Well, you'd need to read it cover to cover to pick it up, but they-um-they mention you –Rohini- couple of times a week. I'm not talking about big articles. They just slip you in, like you're a standing joke."

"… wow." Rohini breathed, feeling suddenly quite numb. "Screw them; I hope Voldemort will destroy their headquarters first before everybody actually realise he's back."

At that moment, they heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Uh oh."

Fred gave the Extendable Ear a hearty tug; there was another loud crack and he and George vanished. Seconds later, Mrs. Weasley appeared in the bedroom doorway.

"The meeting's over, you can come down and have dinner now. Everyone's dying to see you, Harry, Rohini. And who's left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?"

"Crookshanks," said Ginny unblushingly. "He loves playing with them."

Rohini bite her lips to hold up her laugh.

"Oh," said Mrs Weasley, "I thought it might have been Kreacher, he keeps doing odd things like that. Now don't forget to keep your voices down in the hall. Ginny, your hands are filthy, what have you been doing? Go and wash them before dinner, please..."

Ginny grimaced at the others and followed her mother out of the room, leaving Harry and Rohini alone with Ron and Hermione once more.

"Who's Kreacher?" Rohini asked quickly, not wanting to hear another heated argument.

"The house-elf who lives here," said Ron. "Nutter. Never met one like him."

Hermione frowned at Ron.

"He's not a nutter, Ron-"

"His life's ambition is to have his head cut off and stuck up on plaque just like his mother," said Ron irritably. "Is that normal, Hermione?"

Ron rolled his eyes at Harry.

"Hermione still hasn't given up on spew."

"It's not "spew"!" said Hermione heatedly. "It's the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. And it's not just me, Dumbledore says we should be kind to Kreacher too-"

"If Dumbledore said so." Rohini said sarcastically.

"C'mon, I'm starving." Ron said, standing up.

He led the way out of the door and on to the landing, but before they could descend the stairs-

"Hold it!" Ron breathed, flinging out an arm to stop the twins and Hermione walking any further. "They're still in the hall, we might be able to hear something-"

"I'm half deaf." Rohini reminded him, deadpan.

The four of them looked cautiously over the banisters. The gloomy hallway below was packed with witches and wizards. They were whispering excitedly together. In the very centre of the group Rohini recognised the dark, greasy-haired head and prominent nose of everyone's least favourite teacher at Hogwarts, Professor Snape. Rohini's mouth twisted; Snivellus was a filthy, disgusting human being, and knowing his past as a Death Eater, she couldn't understand how Dumbledore would decide to trust him.

A thin piece of small ear tied up to a flesh-coloured string descended in front of Rohini's eyes. Looking up, she saw Fred and George on the landing above, cautiously lowering the Extendable Ear towards the dark knot of people below. A moment later, however, they all began to move towards the front door and out of sight.

"Snape never eats here," Ron told Harry quietly. "Thank God. C'mon."

"And don't forget to keep your voice down in the hall." Hermione whispered.

As they passed the row of house-elf heads on the wall, Rohini looked in the opposite direction, they saw Lupin, Mrs. Weasley, and Tonks at the front door, magically sealing its many locks and bolts behind those who had just left.

"We're eating down in the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley whispered, meeting them at the bottom of the stairs. "Harry, Rohini, dearies, if you'll just tiptoe across the hall it's through this door here-"

 _CRASH._

"Tonks!" cried Mrs. Weasley in exasperation, turning to look behind her.

"I'm sorry!" wailed Tonks, who was lying flat on the floor. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, that's the second time I've tripped over-"

But the rest of her words were drowned by a horrible, ear-splitting, blood-curdling screech. Rohini covered her ears, wincing.

The moth-eaten velvet curtains they had passed earlier had flown apart, but there was no door behind them. An old woman in a black cap was screaming and screaming as though she were being tortured- then Rohini realised it was simply a life-size portrait, but the most realistic, and the most unpleasant, she had ever seen in his life.

The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed, and all along the hall behind them, the other portraits awoke and began to yell, too, and Rohini closed her eyes, breathing faster and panicking, the screams echoing inside her mind and bringing unpleasant memories to the surface –her parents' last moment, Cedric's death, the Crucio curse, Voldemort-

Lupin and Mrs Weasley darted forward and tried to tug the curtains shut over the old woman, but they would not close and she screeched louder than ever, brandishing clawed hands as though trying to tear at their faces.

"Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers-"

Tonks apologised over and over again, dragging the huge, heavy troll's leg back off the floor; Mrs. Weasley abandoned the attempt to close the curtains and hurried up and down the hall, Stunning all the other portraits with her wand; and a man with long black hair came charging out of a door facing the twins.

"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!" he roared, seizing the curtain Mrs. Weasley had abandoned.

The old woman's face blanched.

"Yoooou!" she howled, her eyes popping at the sight of the man. "Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!"

"I said- shut- UP!" roared the man, and with a stupendous effort he and Lupin managed to force the curtains closed again.

The old woman's screeches died and an echoing silence tell. Panting slightly and sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes, Harry's godfather Sirius turned to face the twins.

"Hello, Harry, Rohini," he said grimly, "I see you've met my mother."

"Pleasure." Rohini said weakly, still shaking.

Sirius barked in a strange hollow laugh, and the next second, he was holding the twins in his arms.

And for the first time in months, it felt a bit like being home again.


	5. Chapter 5

Rohini finally let go of Sirius, and looked back at the now closed curtains.

"Alright, I think I'm missing something here; why is this horrible woman your mum?"

"Because she sadly gave birth to me." said Sirius with a grimace. "We've been trying to get her down for a month but we think she put a Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of the canvas. Let's get downstairs, quick, before they all wake up again."

"But what's a portrait of your mother doing here?" Harry asked, bewildered, as they went through the door from the hall and led the way down a flight of narrow stone steps, the others just behind them.

"Yeah, that's what I meant." Rohini said quickly. "Bad wording, as usual. Trying to improve on that."

"It's fine; can lead to funny situation, don't you think?" Sirius said, though he still looked a bit tense. "I suppose nobody told you yet, but this used to be my parents' house. Well, it's technically mine now, since I'm the only Black left. I offered it to Dumbledore for Headquarters- about the only useful thing I've been able to do."

"That's not true!" Rohini said with a frown. "You're the best godfather Harry could have, and you've always been a great support to us!"

"Yeah, she is right." Harry added with a nod.

A smile finally showed on Sirius' hard face as the twins followed him to the bottom of the creaking steps and through a door leading into the basement kitchen. Rohini shuddered, feeling as cold as she would during a Dementor's attack.

It was scarcely less gloomy than the hall above, a cavernous room with rough stone walls. Most of the light was coming from a large fire at the far end of the room. A haze of pipe smoke hung in the air like battle fumes, through which loomed the menacing shapes of heavy iron pots and pans hanging from the dark ceiling.

Many chairs had been crammed into the room for the meeting and a long wooden table stood in the middle of them, littered with rolls of parchment, goblets, empty wine bottles, and a heap of what appeared to be rags. Mr. Weasley and his eldest son Bill were talking quietly with their heads together at the end of the table.

"Hi." Rohini said lightly.

Mr. Weasley looked around and jumped to his feet.

"Harry, Rohini!" Mr. Weasley said, hurrying forward to greet them, and shaking their hands vigorously. "Good to see you!"

"Good to see you too." Rohini said before glancing above his shoulders to Bill, hastily rolling up the lengths of parchment left on the table. "Hi, Bill!"

"Hello, Rohi'. Journey all right?" Bill called, trying to gather up twelve scrolls at once. "Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?"

"He tried," said Tonks, striding over to help Bill and immediately toppling a candle on to the last piece of parchment. "Oh no- sorry-"

"Here, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, sounding exasperated, and she repaired the parchment with a wave of her wand.

"It's ok Tonks, I'm the same." Rohini assured the witch.

Bill took out his wand, muttered, 'Evanesce!' and the scrolls vanished.

"Sit down, Harry, Rohini," said Sirius. "You two have met Mundungus, haven't you?"

The thing Rohini had taken to be a pile of rags gave a prolonged, grunting snore, then jerked awake. Rohini gave the man a hard look.

"Indeed, we have." She said coldly.

"Some'n say m'name?" Mundungus mumbled sleepily. "I agree with Sirius..." He raised a very grubby hand in the air as though voting, his droopy, bloodshot eyes unfocused.

"Is he really necessary?" Rohini whispered to Sirius and Harry elbowed her between the ribs. "What? I know you're thinking the same!"

"The meeting's over, Dung," said Sirius, as they all sat down around him at the table. "Harry and Rohini have arrived."

"Eh?" said Mundungus, peering bale fully at the twins through his matted ginger hair. "Blimey, Yeah ... you all right, 'arry?"

"Yeah." said Harry.

"Would have been better without an upcoming hearing." Rohini said with a hard stare.

Mundungus fumbled nervously in his pockets, avoiding her gaze, and pulled out a grimy black pipe. He stuck it in his mouth, ignited the end of it with his wand and took a deep pull on it. Great billowing clouds of greenish smoke obscured him within seconds and Rohini ended up with a coughing fit.

"Owe you a 'pology," grunted a voice from the middle of the smelly cloud.

"For the last time, Mundungus," called Mrs. Weasley, "will you please not smoke that thing in the kitchen, especially not when we're about to eat!"

"Ah," said Mundungus. "Right. Sorry, Molly."

The cloud of smoke vanished as Mundungus stowed his pipe back in his pocket, but an acrid smell of burning socks lingered. Rohini covered her nose with her collar, her eyes slightly watery.

"And if you want dinner before midnight I'll need a hand," Mrs. Weasley said to the room at large. "No, you can stay where you are, Harry, Rohini dearies, you've had a long journey-"

"No, I really want to help." Rohini insisted; she was tired of being told to do nothing.

"What can I do, Molly?" said Tonks enthusiastically, bounding behind Rohini.

Mrs. Weasley hesitated, looking apprehensive.

"Er-no, it's all right, Tonks, you have a rest too, you've done enough today."

"No, no, I want to help!" said Tonks brightly, knocking over a chair as she hurried towards the dresser, from which Ginny was collecting cutlery.

Soon, a series of heavy knives were chopping meat and vegetables of their own accord, supervised by Mr. Weasley, while Mrs. Weasley stirred a cauldron dangling over the fire and the others took out plates, more goblets and food from the pantry. Rohini glanced above her shoulder at Harry who was left at the table with Sirius and Mundungus, who was still blinking at him mournfully.

Rohini heard a meow and, looking down, saw Thranduil and Crookshanks both staring at her.

"Hi, Crookie." She said, rubbing the fat cat's chin. "Have you forgiven me yet, Thrandy?"

Her cat blinked slowly, and Rohini took it as a yes. Then, Crookshanks trotted towards the table and jumped on to Sirius's lap and curled up. Sirius scratched him absent-mindedly behind the ears as he turned, still grim-faced, to Harry.

"Had a good summer so far?" He asked. Rohini winced, keeping a careful eye on Harry.

"No, it's been lousy." said Harry moodily.

For the first time, something like a grin flitted across Sirius's free.

"Don't know what you're complaining about, myself."

"What?" said Harry incredulously.

"What do you mean, Sirius?" Rohini asked, concerned, as she took a seat next to him.

Sirius sighed.

"Personally, I'd have welcomed a Dementor attack. A deadly struggle for my soul would have broken the monotony nicely. You think you've had it bad, at least you've been able to get out and about, stretch your legs, get into a few fights... I've been stuck inside for a month."

"What, seriously?" Rohini said, bemused.

"How come?" asked Harry, frowning.

"Because the Ministry of Magic's still after me, and Voldemort will know all about me being an Animagus by now, Wormtail will have told him, so my big disguise is useless. There's not much I can do for the Order of the Phoenix... or so Dumbledore feels."

There was something about the slightly flattened tone of voice in which Sirius uttered Dumbledore's name that told Rohini that Sirius, too, was not very happy with the headmaster either.

"That's pretty unfair." Rohini said. "Couldn't they cast a spell on you, like Mad-Eye did with Harry and I? Or maybe you could borrow Harry's Invisibility Cloak? You need some good old fresh air; this place is dreadful…"

"At least you've known what's been going on." Harry said bracingly and Rohini gave him a hard glance.

"Oh yeah," said Sirius sarcastically. "Listening to Snape's reports, having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life while I'm sat on my backside here having a nice comfortable time... asking me how the cleaning's going-"

"I hate him." Rohini spat in a low voice. Sirius gave her an understanding look.

"What cleaning?" asked Harry.

"Trying to make this place fit for human habitation," said Sirius, waving a hand around the dismal kitchen. "No one's lived here for ten years, not since my dear mother died, unless you count her old house-elf, and he's gone round the twist, hasn't cleaned anything in ages-"

"Sirius," said Mundungus, who did not appear to have paid any attention to the conversation, but had been closely examining an empty goblet. "This solid silver, mate?"

"Can't you learn to read the mood?" Rohini snapped at him. Both men ignored her.

"Yes," said Sirius, surveying it with distaste. "Finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest."

"That'd come orf, though," muttered Mundungus, polishing it with his cuff.

"Don't even consider stealing it." Rohini whispered, loud enough for him to hear. "I'll make sure to count them all."

"I'd never-"

"Fred- George-NO, JUST CARRY THEM!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

The twins, Sirius and Mundungus looked around and, within a split second, they had dived away from the table. Fred and George had bewitched a large cauldron of stew, an iron flagon of Butterbeer, and a heavy wooden breadboard, complete with knife, to hurtle through the air towards them.

The stew skidded the length of the table and came to a halt just before the end, leaving a long black burn on the wooden surface; the flagon of Butterbeer fell with a crash, spilling its contents everywhere; the bread knife slipped off the board and landed, point down and quivering ominously, exactly where Sirius's right hand had been seconds before.

Rohini brought her own hand to her chest, breathing fast.

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!" screamed Mrs. Weasley. "THERE WAS NO NEED- I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS- JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERY TINY LITTLE THING!"

"We were just trying to save a bit of time!" said Fred, hurrying forward to wrench the bread knife out of the table. "Sorry, Sirius, mate- didn't mean to-"

Harry and Sirius were both laughing; Mundungus, who had toppled backwards off his chair, was swearing as he got to his feet; Crookshanks had given an angry hiss and shot off under the dresser, from where his large yellow eyes glowed in the darkness. As for Rohini, she joined her brother and Sirius' laugh once the shock had passed.

"Boys," Mr. Weasley said, lifting the stew back into the middle of the table, "your mother's right, you're supposed to show a sense of responsibility now you've come of age-"

"-none of your brothers caused this sort of trouble!" Mrs. Weasley raged at the twins as she slammed a fresh flagon of Butterbeer onto the table, and spilling almost as much again. "Bill didn't feel the need to Apparate every few feet! Charlie didn't charm everything he met! Percy-"

She stopped dead, catching her breath with a frightened look at her husband, whose expression was suddenly wooden.

"Let's eat." said Bill quickly.

"Yeah, I'm starving." Rohini added with an awkward laugh.

"It looks wonderful, Molly," said Lupin, ladling stew on to a plate for her and handing it across the table.

For a few minutes there was silence but for the chink of plates and cutlery and the scraping of chairs as everyone settled down to their food. Then Mrs. Weasley turned to Sirius.

"I've been meaning to tell you, Sirius, there's something trapped in that writing desk in the drawing room, it keeps rattling and shaking. Of course, it could just be a boggart, but I thought we ought to ask Alastor to have a look at it before we let it out."

"Whatever you like." said Sirius indifferently.

"Couldn't Professor Lupin do it?" Rohini asked, blushing and looking down at her plate as the adults glanced at her, though she didn't miss Lupin's amused smile; it had never been a secret he was one of her favourite teachers, even if he wasn't at Hogwarts anymore.

"The curtains in there are full of doxys, too," Mrs. Weasley went on. "I thought we might try and tackle them tomorrow."

"I look forward to it." said Sirius sarcastically. Rohini and Harry exchanged a knowing look, but Harry said nothing.

"I could help with that. I'm pretty good with house chores, except when it's cleaning up my own mess." Rohini said lightly, hoping to help with the tense mood.

Bill chuckled and Rohini gave him a grateful smile.

Opposite the twins, Tonks was entertaining Hermione and Ginny by transforming her nose between mouthfuls. Screwing up her eyes each time with the same pained expression she had worn back in the Potters' bedroom, her nose swelled to a beak-like protuberance that resembled Snape's, shrank to the size of a button mushroom and then sprouted a great deal of hair from each nostril. Apparently this was a regular mealtime entertainment, because Hermione and Ginny were soon requesting their favourite noses.

"Do that one like a pig snout, Tonks..."

Tonks obliged, and Rohini snorted as she was now looking at a very Dudley-like face.

Meanwhile, Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Lupin were having an intense discuss on about goblins.

"They're not giving anything away yet," said Bill. "I still can't work out whether or not they believe he's back. Course, they might prefer not to take sides at all. Keep out of it."

"I'm sure they'd never go over to You-Know-Who," said Mr. Weasley, shaking his head. "They've suffered losses too; remember that goblin family he murdered last time, somewhere near Nottingham?"

"I think it depends what they're offered," said Lupin. "And I'm not talking about gold. If they're offered the freedoms we've been denying them for centuries they're going to be tempted. Have you still not had any luck with Ragnok, Bill?"

"He's feeling pretty anti-wizard at the moment," said Bill, "he hasn't stopped raging about the Bagman business, he reckons the Ministry did a cover-up, those goblins never got their gold from him, you know-"

A gale of laughter from the middle of the table drowned the rest of Bill's words. Fred, George, Ron, and Mundungus were rolling around in their seats. Rohini gave them a dull look, annoyed by their interruption.

"...and then," choked Mundungus, tears running down his face, "and then, if you'll believe it, 'e says to me, 'e says, " 'Ere, Dung, where didja get all them toads from? 'Cos some son of a Sludger's gone and nicked all mine!" And I says, "Nicked all your toads, Will, what next? So you'll be wanting some more, then?" And if you'll believe me, lads, the gormless gargoyle buys all 'is own toads back orf me for a lot more'n what 'e paid in the first place-"

"You're the worst." Rohini said flatly.

"Rohi." Harry whispered and Rohini gave him an annoyed look.

"I don't think we need to hear any more of your business dealings, thank you very much, Mundungus." said Mrs. Weasley sharply, as Ron slumped forwards on to the table, howling with laughter.

"Beg pardon, Molly," said Mundungus at once, wiping his eyes and winking at Harry, but still avoiding looking at Rohini. "But, you know, Will nicked 'em orf Warty Harris in the first place so I wasn't really doing nothing wrong-"

"I don't know where you learned about right and wrong, Mundungus, but you seem to have missed a few crucial lessons." said Mrs. Weasley coldly.

Fred and George buried their faces in their goblets of Butterbeer; George was hiccoughing. For some reason, Mrs. Weasley threw a very nasty look at Sirius before getting to her feet and going to fetch a large rhubarb crumble for pudding.

"Molly doesn't approve of Mundungus." said Sirius in an undertone.

"Neither do I. He seems pretty useless." Rohini said moodily.

"He can be useful, actually," Sirius muttered. "Knows all the crooks- well, he would, seeing as he's one himself. But he's also very loyal to Dumbledore, who helped him out of a tight spot once. It pays to have someone like Dung around, he hears things we don't. But Molly thinks inviting him to stay for dinner is going too far. She hasn't forgiven him for slipping off duty when he was supposed to be tailing you."

"Can't really disagree on that with her, Can we?"

Sirius scoffed, though there was a dancing light in his eyes as he said, "You sure do sound like your mother, right now."

"Oh, shush." Rohini said with a blush, though she was extremely pleased by that information; she had always felt like she wasn't as much like her parents as Harry was.

Three helpings of rhubarb crumble and custard later, Rohini was feeling quite full. Mr. Weasley was leaning back in his chair, looking replete and relaxed, Tonks was yawning widely, her nose now back to normal, and Ginny, who had lured Crookshanks out from under the dresser, was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rolling Butterbeer corks for him and Thranduil to chase.

"Nearly time for bed, I think." said Mrs. Weasley with a yawn.

"Not just yet, Molly." said Sirius, pushing away his empty plate and turning to look at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

The atmosphere in the room changed with the rapidity Rohini associated with the arrival of Dementors. Where seconds before it had been sleepily relaxed, it was now alert, even tense. A frisson had gone around the table at the mention of Voldemort's name. Lupin, who had been about to take a sip of wine, lowered his goblet slowly, looking wary.

"We did!" said Harry indignantly. "I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so-"

"And they're quite right," said Mrs. Weasley. "You're too young."

She was sitting bolt upright in her chair, her fists clenched an its arms, every trace of drowsiness gone.

"It's not fair." Rohini said with a frown, realising too late she had spoken aloud. Resisting the urge to look away and stay quiet, she forced herself to look at Mrs. Weasley who now had her lips pinched. "Really, it's not; I don't even care about joining the Order; I do realise it's an adult thing. But not being told anything? Keeping every little bit of information away from us? That's just plain selfish."

"Rohini-"

"No, listen to me!" Rohini said slightly louder, "Harry is right; Voldemort has been after the both of us for years now! He keeps trying to kill us, again, and again, and again! Not only him, but Dementors too, now! I saw him- I had to witness him coming back to his full strength! I had to see him murder Diggory, without being able to save him! I heard the names of his followers! He is back, and yet, we know nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

Slightly short of breath, Rohini crossed her arms and looked down at her empty plate, ignoring how warm the tips of her till-now frozen fingers felt like. A silence followed her words, and was interrupted by Sirius.

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" asked Sirius calmy. "They have been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. They've got the right to know what's been happen-"

"Hang on!" interrupted George loudly. "We've been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven't told us a single stinking thing!"

"You're too young, you're not in the Order," said Fred, in a high-pitched voice that sounded uncannily like his mother's. "Harry's not even of age!"

"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing," said Sirius, and something felt as if it wasn't the first time they had this talk. "That's your parents' decision. Harry, on the other hand-"

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry, or even for Rohini!" said Mrs. Weasley sharply. The expression on her normally kind face looked dangerous. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Mrs. Weasley-" Rohini started.

"Which bit?" Sirius cut her politely, but with the air of a man readying himself for a fight.

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know." said Mrs. Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words.

Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George's heads swivelled from Sirius to Mrs. Weasley as though they were following a tennis rally. Ginny was kneeling amid a pile of abandoned Butterbeer corks, watching the conversation with her mouth slightly open. Lupin's eyes were fixed on Sirius. Rohini clenched her fists, trying to calm down the heat building inside of her.

"Seems like Dumbledore didn't say anything about me having my questions answer, did he?" She said coldly. "So, there's no harm in Sirius telling _me_ what I want to know."

"I don't intend to tell them more than he needs to know, Molly," said Sirius. "But as Rohini was the one who saw Voldemort come back" (again, there was a collective shudder around the table at the name), "and he is after Harry too, they have more right than most to-"

"They are not members of the Order of the Phoenix!" said Mrs. Weasley. "They are only fifteen and-"

"-and they both have dealt with as much as most in the Order," said Sirius, "and more than some-"

"No one's denying what they've done!" said Mrs. Weasley, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. "But they're still-"

"They are not children!" said Sirius impatiently.

"They are not an adult either!" said Mrs. Weasley, the colour rising in her cheeks. "Harry's not James, Sirius, and-"

Rohini clenched her teeth too, trying to keep nasty words from flooding from her mouth.

"I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly." said Sirius coldly.

"I'm not sure you are!" said Mrs. Weasley. "Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back! Harry and Rohini are still at school and adults responsible for them should not forget it!"

"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" demanded Sirius, his voice rising.

"Meaning you have been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home and-"

"Personally," said Lupin quietly, looking away from Sirius at last, as Mrs. Weasley turned quickly to him, hopeful that finally she was about to get an ally, "I think it better that Harry and Rohini get the facts- not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture- from us, rather than a garbled version from... others."

"Well," said Mrs Weasley, breathing deeply and looking around the table for support that did not come, "well... I can see I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry –and Rohini- to know too much, and speaking as someone who has Harry's best interests at heart-"

"He's not your son. said Sirius quietly.

"He's as good as," said Mrs. Weasley fiercely. "Who else has he got?"

"He's got me! And so does Rohini!"

Yes," said Mrs Weasley, her lip curling, "the thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after them while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"

"SHUT UP!"

Everybody startled at the sudden outburst coming from Rohini, now standing, her whole body tensed. Mrs. Weasley started at her with a fearsome expression, and Rohini though it was addressed to her when she realised the napkin next to her had caught fire.

"Shit!" She yelled, grabbing a glass of water sitting on her left and pouring it on the flames. "Sorry- I didn't- Oh god, I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley, I didn't mean to-"

Mrs. Weasleys lower lip was trembling. Sirius sank slowly back into his chair, his face white; he had stood up at the same time Rohini had shouted at Molly.

"Alright." Mrs Weasley said in a weak, trembling voice before leaving the room.

"Mrs. Weasley, wait, I-"

"I'll handle it for, Rohini." Said Mr. Weasley tensely, waving at her to stay where she was. "I think you have matters to discuss with Sirius for now."

And then he, too, left the room.

"OK, Harry... what do you want to know?" finally said Sirius, still looking a bit pale.

Rohini stood up and went to sit next to Ginny, absently playing with the two cats to calm down.

"Do you think your mum will forgive me?" She whispered. Ginny shrugged.

"She can't stay mad at Harry or you for too long. She'll be hurt, of course, but she probably knows she overstepped a little."

"Thanks." Rohini mumbled, resting her head on her friend's shoulders and reporting her attention to the conversation.

"-That's because there haven't been any funny deaths yet," said Sirius, probably answering a question asked by Harry, "not as far as we know, anyway... And we know quite a lot."

"More than he thinks we do, anyway." said Lupin.

"How come he's stopped killing people?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I don't remember him having murder ethics or something." Rohini said sarcastically. A smile played on Sirius' lips.

"Because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself," said Sirius. "It would be dangerous for him. His comeback didn't come off quite the way he wanted it to, you see. He messed it up."

"Or rather, you messed it up for him, Rohini." said Lupin, with a satisfied smile.

"Me…? How?" Rohini asked, perplexed.

"You weren't supposed to survive!" said Sirius. "Nobody apart from his Death Eaters was supposed to know he'd come back. But you survived to bear witness, and Harry didn't fall into a desperate grief."

"And the very last person he wanted alerted to his return the moment he got back was Dumbledore," said Lupin. "And you made sure Dumbledore knew at once."

"How has that helped?" Harry asked.

"Thanks." Rohini said flatly.

"You know what I mean." Harry said, irritated.

"Are you kidding?" said Bill incredulously. "Dumbledore was the only one You-Know-Who was ever scared of!"

"Thanks to Rohini, Dumbledore was able to recall the Order of the Phoenix about an hour after Voldemort returned." said Sirius.

"So, what's the Order been doing?" said Harry, looking around at them all.

"Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort can't carry out his plans." said Sirius.

"How d'you know what his plans are, though?" Rohini asked, leaning closer with clear interest.

"Dumbledore's got a shrewd idea," said Lupin, "and Dumbledore's shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate."

"So what does Dumbledore reckon he's planning?"

"Well, firstly, he wants to build up his army again," said Sirius. "In the old days he had huge numbers at his command: witches and wizards he'd bullied or bewitched into following him, his faithful Death Eaters, a great variety of Dark creatures. You heard him planning to recruit the giants; well, they'll be just one of the groups he's after. He's certainly not going to try and take on the Ministry of Magic with only a dozen Death Eaters."

"So you're trying to stop him getting more followers? Neat." Rohini said.

"We're doing our best, yes." said Lupin.

"How?" The twins asked at the same time.

"Well, the main thing is to try and convince as many people as possible that You-Know-Who really has returned, to put them on their guard," said Bill. "It's proving tricky, though."

"You saw Cornelius Fudge after You-Know-Who came back. Well, he hasn't shifted his position at all. He's absolutely refusing to believe it's happened." Tonks explained.

"But why?" said Harry desperately. "Why's he being so stupid? If Dumbledore-"

"He is scared of him, right?" Rohini observed. "Scared Dumbledore will steal his job, or became more popular."

"Precisely." Sirius said, looking at her proudly.

"But Dumbledore doesn't-" Harry started.

"Of course he doesn't," said Mr. Weasley. "He's never wanted the Minister's job, even though a lot of people wanted him to take it when Millicent Bagnold retired. Fudge came to power instead, but he's never quite forgotten how much popular support Dumbledore had, even though Dumbledore never applied for the job."

"Deep down, Fudge knows Dumbledore's much cleverer than he is, a much more powerful wizard, and in the early days of his Ministry he was forever asking Dumbledore for help and advice," said Lupin. "But it seems he's become fond of power, and much more confident. He loves being Minister for Magic and he's managed to convince himself that he's the clever one and Dumbledore's simply stirring up trouble for the sake of it."

"How can he think that?" said Harry angrily. "How can he think Dumbledore would just make it all up- that we'd make it all up?"

"Because adults are stupid. Most of them." Rohini added quickly, making the few adults still present chuckle.

"That, and because accepting that Voldermort's back would mean trouble like the Ministry hasn't had to cope with for nearly fourteen years," said Sirius bitterly. "Fudge just can't bring himself to face it. It's so much more comfortable to convince himself Dumbledore's lying to destabilise him."

"You see the problem," said Lupin. "While the Ministry insists there is nothing to fear from Voldemort it's hard to convince people he's back, especially as they really don't want to believe it in the first place. What's more, the Ministry's leaning heavily on the Daily Prophet not to report any of what they're calling Dumbledore's rumour-mongering, so most of the wizarding community are completely unaware anything's happened, and that makes them easy targets for the Death Eaters if they're using the Imperius Curse."

"But you're telling people, aren't you?" said Harry, looking around at Mr. Weasley, Sirius, Bill, Mundungus, Lupin and Tonks. "You're letting people know he's back?"

They all smiled humourlessly.

"Well, as everyone thinks I'm a mad mass-murderer and the Ministry's put a ten thousand Galleon price on my head, I can hardly stroll up the street and start handing out leaflets, can I?" said Sirius restlessly.

"And I'm not a very popular dinner guest with most of the community," said Lupin. "It's an occupational hazard of being a werewolf."

"That's stupid. You're both saner than most people I know." Rohini mumbled.

"Thank you, Rohi'. Beside, Tonks and Arthur would lose their jobs at the Ministry if they started shooting their mouths off," said Sirius, "and it's very important for us to have spies inside the Ministry, because you can bet Voldemort will have them."

"Malfoy." Rohini spat.

"We've managed to convince a couple of people, though," said Mr. Weasley. "Tonks here, for one-she's too young to have been in the Order of the Phoenix last time, and having Aurors on our side is a huge advantage- Kingsley Shacklebolt's been a real asset, too; he's in charge of the hunt for Sirius, so he's been feeding the Ministry information that Sirius is in Tibet."

"Oh, that's great!" Rohini smiled. "Though I guess you wouldn't mind being that far away from this house, would you?"

Sirius nodded tiredly.

"But if none of you are putting the news out that Voldemort's back-" Harry began.

"Who said none of us are putting the news out?" said Sirius. "Why d'you think Dumbledore's in such trouble?"

"They're trying to discredit him," said Lupin. "Didn't you see the Daily Prophet last week?"

Rohini shook her head.

"Only read the headlines." Harry admitted.

"They reported that he'd been voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his grip, but it's not true; he was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing Voldemort's return. They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot- that's the Wizard High Court- and they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too."

"Duh." Rohini said dully.

"But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog Cards." said Bill, grinning and Rohini puffed.

"But if Voldemort's trying to recruit more Death Eaters it's bound to get out that he's come back, isn't it?" asked Harry desperately.

"Voldemort doesn't march up to people's houses and bang on their front doors, Harry," said Sirius. "He tricks, jinxes and blackmails them. He's well-practised at operating in secret. In any case, gathering followers is only one thing he's interested in. He's got other plans too, plans he can put into operation very quietly indeed, and he's concentrating on those for the moment."

"Like killing us both?" Rohini asked bitterly.

"That too. And stuff he can only get by stealth."

"Like in D&D." Rohini said, blushing as everybody gave her a dull look. "Sorry. Keep going."

"Like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time." Sirius said.

"Like what kind of weapon?" said Harry. "Something worse than the Avada Kedavra-?"

"That's enough!"

Mrs. Weasley spoke from the shadows beside the door. Rohini hadn't noticed her return and looked away bashfully as she saw the dry tears and her slightly puffy eyes. Her arms were crossed and she looked furious.

"I want you in bed, now. All of you." she added, looking around at Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and Hermione.

"You can't boss us-" Fred began but George shushed him.

"Watch me," snarled Mrs. Weasley. She was trembling slightly as she looked at Sirius. 'You've given them plenty of information. Any more and you might just as well induct him into the Order straightaway."

"Why not?" said Harry quickly. "I'll join, I want to join, I want to fight."

"Don't be silly." Rohini scoffed. "Our fifth year is about to start. What are you gonna do from the castle? Send Howlers to Fudge? I want to fight, too. But there must be other way than through the Order. We just need to figure out what."

"Agreed." Ginny said.

"You will not do such a thing!" Mrs. Weasley said, waving an index at her daughter. "You- you will go to school, follow the rules, and stay out of troubles! All of you!"

"The Order is comprised only of overage wizards," said Lupin. "Wizards who have left school," he added, as Fred and George opened their mouths. "There are dangers involved of which you can have no idea, any of you... I think Molly's right, Sirius. We've said enough."

Sirius half-shrugged but did not argue; Lupin was probably his own moral compass of some kind. Mrs. Weasley beckoned imperiously to her sons and Hermione. One by one they stood up and Rohini stretched and cracked her bones with a grunt.

"Come on, Thranduil." She said, picking up her cat and perching him on her shoulders. "Thank you, Sirius." She whispered to Harry's godfather. "For taking our side, and being the coolest family member we have left, no matter what Mrs. Weasley said."

"Good girl." Sirius laughed, giving her a quick hug and ruffling her hair. "Now, off to bed, both of you."

Mrs. Weasley followed them upstairs looking grim.

"I want you all to go straight to bed, no talking," she said as they reached the first landing, "we've got a busy day tomorrow. Rohini, you will move with Ginny and Hermione tomorrow, but I'm afraid you and Harry will have to share a room for tonight."

"It's not like we're used to that anyway." Rohini said, making her friends puff.

"I can sleep with them, right? There's a mattress under Harry's bed." Ron said hopefully.

"No, you're not until Rohini move into the girls' bedroom." Mrs. Weasley said dryly.

"Sleep tight." said Fred to the twins with a wink, followed by a moody Ron.

Mrs. Weasley closed the door behind Harry with a sharp snap.

The bedroom looked, if anything, even danker and gloomier than it had on first sight. The blank picture on the wall was now breathing very slowly and deeply, as though its invisible occupant was asleep. Harry put on his pyjamas, took off his glasses and Rohini did the same, grimacing at how chilly the bed felt.

"Still upset at me, isn't she? Mrs. Weasley." Rohini asked.

"You weren't really cool with her." Harry said as a matter of fact.

"Oh, come on! It's not- don't tell me you weren't upset by what she said?"

"I mean, she overdid it a bit, but you heard what she sa-"

"Oh, yeah; I forgot you had found yourself a new mother." Rohini said sarcastically, turning her bed to Harry who grunted loudly before throwing his pillow at her. "Hey!"

"Don't be stupid, she isn't- Mum is our mum. But you can't deny being with everyone feels more like being with your family than being at Private Drive will ever feel!"

"I know!" Rohini snapped. "I know, for Merlin's- I just, why couldn't she be kinder to Sirius? Pointing out how he was locked in Azkaban- that was awful!"

"I know." Harry repeated.

"Then, what? You can't lecture me when you were screaming at Ron and Hermione two hours ago!"

"It's not the same thing!" Harry said indignantly.

"Oh, yeah? How is it different?" Rohini asked, raising her chin defiantly as she threw his pillow back to Harry.

"It- nevermind." Harry sighed tiredly. "Come on, Rohi'; let's drop that."

"Fine."

"Fin-

CRACK.

Rohini yelped at the sudden booming sound next to her ear.

"Keep your voice down, Rohi', or Mum'll be back up here."

"Don't freaking Apparate in people's bedroom at night! I almost got a heart attack!"

"Like the one you gave mum with your outburst? Just kidding, it was awesome in its own way." Said George.

"Yeah, we'd never have dare to say that. Not aloud, for sure. So bold, so brave of you!"

"'Sure you don't belong to Griffindor?"

"Ahah, very funny." Rohini said moodily as her mattress descended a few inches as George sat down near his feet.

"So, got there yet?" said George eagerly.

"The weapon Sirius mentioned?" said Fred on the same tone.

"What d'you reckon it is?" said Harry.

"Could be anything." said Fred.

"Wow, so helpful." Rohini said slyly.

"But there can't be anything worse than the Avada Kedavra curse, can there?" said Harry. "What's worse than death?"

"Watching your loved one dying. Watching them being tortured first, to the point they lose their mind." Rohini said with a shudder. "Knowing you have no family left, no friends, just- no one."

"Always here to brighten the mood, I see." George said lightly. "So who d'you think's got it now?"

"Dumbledore's probably keeping it." said Fred.

"I doubt it." Rohini said with a frown. "I'm pretty sure Sirius would have told us, or sound happier about it if it was the case."

"Shhh!" said Fred, half-rising from the bed. "Listen!"

They fell silent. Footsteps were coming up the stairs.

"Mum," said George and without further ado there was a loud crack and Rohini felt the weight vanish from the end of his bed. A few seconds later, they heard the floorboard creak outside their door; Mrs. Weasley was plainly listening to check whether or not they were talking.

Rohini held her breath, looking at Thranduil's shining eyes in the dark. The floorboard creaked again and they heard her heading upstairs to check on Fred and George.

"I'm never gonna be able to fall asleep." Harry sighed.

"Can't say the same, sorry." Rohini said with a loud yawn.

And indeed, without further ado, Rohini closed her eyes, curled up under her blanket, and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6 : The Troubling Case of Lots of Washing_

Rohini wake up in the middle of the night with a painful gasp, grabbing her shaking legs. For no reasons, the skin that had been burned by her tea a few days ago was suddenly burning again, even though it hadn't been a serious injury. Cursing under her breath, Rohini rested her forehead on her knees and clenched her teeth, hoping the pain will go away.

But after two more minutes of suffering and her whole body getting uncomfortably sweaty, she kicked her blanket away and stood up, the floor cracking under her weight. Freezing, she listened and glanced at Harry's side, but her brother was still asleep; only Thranduil was now looking at her curiously.

"I'll be back." Rohini mouthed to her cat, before making her way to the door and shivering as she stepped into the gloomy corridor. Portraits were asleep, and so was the rest of the house, judging by the eerie silence surrounding her.

Alright, the hardest part was yet to come; where could Sirius be sleeping?

Rohini thought about what he had say; if he used to live here, he probably had his own room; she was pretty sure the kids (her included) were sleeping on two different floors. It was most likely the adults had their own floors to themselves.

"Ok Rohi… remember… step on the sides of the step, the parts closest to the wall. Skip as many steps as possible. Step slowly, if you hear the beginning of a creak stop and skip that step… The most important part is to not step in the centre of the step…"

It was harder than usual, considering the burning pain spreading through her legs, but Rohini still managed to reach two more floors.

Now, what? It would probably be awkward for her to open every door one by one; she didn't want to see something she definitely shouldn't see.

"Pss… Sirius? Hey, Padfoot? You there?" She started whispering, hoping Mrs. Weasley was in a deep, deep sleep already. "It's me, Rohi'. Can you hear me with your super Animagus senses?"

Rohini could hear the tickling of a clock somewhere, and it made her hair rise on her nape. She knew she should probably go back to her room and wait for the pain to pass, but it was now spreading to her feet and it felt like walking on hot sand.

"Pad'?" She repeated weakly, leaning against a wall and grimacing as it creaked.

She froze in fear as a door started to open, but sighed in relief when she recognised Sirius's puzzled, sleepy face.

"Rohini? What are you doing out of bed at this hour?" He croaked before yawning.

"It's my legs; they are burning for no reason again. I think it's due to what I told you in my letters." Rohini explained and Sirius frowned before waving at her to come in.

The bedroom was dark, and Rohini jumped when she heard someone moving on her left.

"Rohini?"

"Professor Lupin? I'm sorry, I didn't know you and Sirius shared a bedroom- it's my legs, they are burning and- didn't mean to wake you up-"

"Calm down Rohini, you're going to wake Molly up." Sirius grunted before yawning again and waving at his bed.

"Sorry again." Rohini apologised as Professor Lupin's face came into light as he casted 'Lumos'.

"It's alright." The former DADA teacher assured her before kneeling in front of her with a frown. "Does it feel like it's due to your magic again?"

"Yeah." Rohini nodded. "I burnt my legs accidentally a few days ago, but it wasn't that bad. But I just woke up, and they were throbbing again, and it seems to be spreading."

"Wise of you, to come to Sirius, then." Professor Lupin agreed as Sirius kneeled by his side.

"Do you reckon some Burn-healing paste would work here?" He asked, but the second man shook his head.

"This is no natural burns. Maybe…"

Professor Lupin's expression grew thoughtful for a moment and, after a few seconds, he waved his wand elegantly while muttering something Rohini didn't quite catch up.

"Oh!" Rohini gasped as her skin was suddenly covered in goosebumps; the skin of her legs suddenly felt icy cold, as if she had decided to go for a swim in the middle of December. Then, the temperature seemed to rise and though the air was still chilly, the pain had passed. "It worked!"

"Good." Professor Lupin smiled. "Now, I would advise you to go to bed again. I think your power simply reacted to what happened earlier, considering how quite fired up everybody felt. But it should be fine for tonight, at least."

"Are you sure there's no risk? Maybe we should bring her to-" Sirius started but Rohini shook her head.

"I'm fine, Padfoot. See?" She wiggled her toes. "All good. Thanks for helping me, Professor." She said.

"Anytime, though I'd prefer during daytime." Professor Lupin said with a tired, but amused smile. "Goodnight, Rohini."

"Goodnight Professor, Sirius."

"Careful, girl." Sirius said, affectionately ruffling Rohini's hair as he walked her to the door. "And not a noise; we have been scolded enough for one night." He said with a wink.

Making her way back to the room was much easier now that everything felt normal again, and it didn't take long for Rohini to fall back asleep once more.

A few hours later, it's George's loud voice filling the room that woke her up.

"Mum says get up, your breakfast is in the kitchen and then she needs you in the drawing room, there are loads more doxys than she thought and she's found a nest of dead puffskeins under the-ouf!" He huffed as Rohini threw her glasses to his face before hiding once more under the blanket.

"Gwo-way…" She mumbled, going back to sleep; she had been having nightmares for weeks, and was going to enjoy this dreamless night-morning.

"I'll tell mum you're feeling sick; hope you're a better actress than Ron. Now Harry, you're coming with us!"

Rohini chuckled as Harry complained, but was too tired to hear anything more.

When she finally got up to fill her hungry stomach, Rohini was caught mid-way by Mrs. Weasley whose hair was now grey with dust.

"Rohini, finally! George told me you were unwell."

"Ah, yes, I think it's because of tomorrow's flight, it was pretty cold up there." Rohini said, faking a cough. "Sorry for not getting up sooner. Anything I can do to help?" She added quickly, while avoiding looking at Mrs. Weasley in the eyes.

"Ah, yes; go eat something first, and drink some warm tea or chocolate, then come over; you'll have to cover your face before, though."

"Alright." Rohini said with a nod, before disappearing for a few minutes in the kitchen.

When she came back, she was handed a towel to cover her nose and mouth and a strange spray filled with black liquid. Everybody else was already at work, and Rohini didn't miss the envious glance from Harry.

"Careful with those doxies; can be pretty nasty-"

"I think I will be able to manage." Rohini assured Mrs. Weasley.

She had been spraying only a few seconds when a fully-grown doxy came soaring out of a fold in the material, shiny beetle-like wings whirring, tiny needle-sharp teeth bared, its fairy-like body covered with thick black hair and its four tiny fists clenched with fury. Yelling, Rohini caught it full in the face with a blast of Doxycide; it froze in midair and fell, with a surprisingly loud thunk, on to the worn carpet below.

"You need to throw them in the bucket." Harry said as he picked it up and threw it in the bucket. "But you'd know that if you hadn't overslept, lazy."

"I'm not lazy! I was sick!" Rohini said, before faking another cough.

Harry rolled his eyes, but Rohini saw the smile on his face before they started working again.

The de-doxying of the curtains took most of the morning. It was past midday when Mrs. Weasley finally removed her protective scarf, sank into a sagging armchair, and sprang up again with a cry of disgust, having sat on a bloody bag that seemed filled with dead rats. The curtains were no longer buzzing; they hung limp and damp from the intensive spraying; unconscious doxys lay crammed in the bucket at the foot of them beside a bowl of their black eggs, at which Crookshanks was now sniffing and Fred and George were shooting covetous looks.

"I think we'll tackle those after lunch."

Mrs. Weasley pointed at the dusty glass-fronted cabinets standing on either side of the mantelpiece. They were crammed with an odd assortment of objects: a selection of rusty daggers, claws, a coiled snakeskin, a number of tarnished silver boxes inscribed with languages Rohini could not understand –maybe French?- and, least pleasant of all, an ornate crystal bottle with a large opal set into the stopper, full of what Rohini was quite sure was blood.

"That's a real House of Horror." Rohini said in disgust. "Could almost turn it into a touristic spot, people would love to be frightened by those."

"Interesting idea." Fred said.

"Don't even consider it." Mrs. Weasley said sharply as the clanging doorbell rang and Mrs. Black started to screech like a banshee again.

"Stay here," Mrs. Weasley said firmly, snatching up the bag of rats, "I'll bring up some sandwiches."

She left the room, closing the door carefully behind her. At once, everyone dashed over to the window to look down on the doorstep. They could see the top of an unkempt gingery head and a stack of precariously balanced cauldrons.

"Mundungus!" said Hermione. "What's he brought all those cauldrons for?"

"Urg, him again." Rohini grunted, losing his interest.

"Mundungus is talking to Sirius and Kingsley," Fred muttered, frowning with concentration as he listened, his ear against the door. "Can't hear properly-"

But at that precise moment there was an explosion of sound from downstairs. All of them could hear exactly what Mrs. Weasley was shouting at the top of her voice.

"WE ARE NOT RUNNING A HIDEOUT FOR STOLEN GOODS!"

"I love hearing Mum shouting at someone else," said Fred, with a satisfied smile on his face as he opened the door an inch or so to allow Mrs. Weasley's voice to permeate the room better, "it makes such a nice change."

"-COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE, AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT YOU DRAGGING STOLEN CAULDRONS INTO THE HOUSE-"

"The idiots are letting her get into her stride," said George, shaking his head. "You've got to head her off early otherwise she builds up a head of steam and goes on for hours. And she's been dying to have a go at Mundungus ever since he sneaked off when he was supposed to be following you, Harry-and there goes Sirius's mum again."

Mrs. Weasley's voice was lost amid fresh shrieks and screams from the portraits in the hall. George made to shut the door to drown the noise, but before he could do so, a house-elf edged into the room.

"Huh." Rohini said, blinking stupidly.

Except for the filthy rag tied like a loincloth around its middle, it was completely naked. It looked very old. Its skin seemed to be several times too big for it and, though it was bald like all house-elves, there was a quantity of white hair growing out of its large, batlike ears. Its eyes were a bloodshot and watery grey and its fleshy nose was large and rather snoutlike.

The elf took absolutely no notice of Rohini and the rest. Acting as though it could not see them, it shuffled hunchbacked, slowly and doggedly, towards the far end of the room, all the while muttering under its breath in a hoarse, deep voice like a bullfrog's, "...smells like a drain and a criminal to boot, but she's no better, nasty old blood traitor with her brats messing up my mistress's house, oh, my poor mistress, if she knew, if she knew the scum they've let into her house-"

"Excuse you?" Rohini said in a heated voice. "Who exactly is in this house now?"

"Hello, Kreacher," said Fred very loudly, closing the door with a snap.

The house-elf froze in his tracks, stopped muttering, and gave a very pronounced and very unconvincing start of surprise.

"Kreacher did not see Young Master," he said, turning around and bowing to Fred. Still lacing the carpet, he added, perfectly audibly, "Nasty little brat of a blood traitor- Let me go!" He growled as Rohini grabbed him by the rag to hold him at eyes level. "You-"

"Apologise." Rohini ordered.

"Kreacher said nothing," said the elf, wriggling. "And here is another one of those little beasts-"

Rohini dropped him without a single ounce of remorse.

"What. The heck. Is that?" She asked her friends, pointing an accusing finger at the old creature.

"This is Rohini, Kreacher." said Hermione tentatively. "Rohini Potter. And here is Harr-"

Kreacher's pale eyes widened and he muttered faster and more furiously than ever.

"The Mudblood is talking to Kreacher as though she is my friend, if Kreacher's mistress saw him in such company, oh, what would she say-"

Rohini slapped the back of his bald head.

"Don't call her a Mudblood!" said Ron, Ginny and Rohini together, very angrily.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione whispered, "he's not in his right mind, he doesn't know what he's-"

"Don't kid yourself, Hermione, he knows exactly what he's saying." said Fred, eyeing Kreacher with great dislike.

"What an ass." Rohini said with a grimace. "Why are you here, anyway? If it's too insult us, then you can go bother someone else."

"Kreacher is cleaning." he said evasively.

"A likely story." said a voice behind them.

Sirius was glowering at the elf from the doorway. The noise in the hall had abated; perhaps Mrs. Weasley and Mundungus had moved their argument down into the kitchen.

At the sight of Sirius, Kreacher flung himself into a ridiculously low bow that flattened his snoutlike nose on the floor.

"Stand up straight," said Sirius impatiently. "Now, what are you up to?"

"Kreacher is cleaning," the elf repeated. "Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black-"

"-and it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy." said Sirius and Rohini snorted.

"Master always liked his little joke," said Kreacher, bowing again, and continuing in an undertone, "Master was a nasty ungrateful swine who broke his mother's heart-"

"Hey!" Rohini said, frowning.

"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher," snapped Sirius. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite."

Kreacher bowed again as he spoke.

"Whatever Master says," he muttered furiously. "Master is not fit to wipe slime from his mother's boots, oh, my poor mistress, what would she say if she saw Kreacher serving him, how she hated him, what a disappointment he was-"

"I asked you what you were up to," said Sirius coldly. "Every time you show up pretending to be cleaning, you sneak something off to your room so we can't throw it out."

"Kreacher would never move anything from its proper place in Master's house," said the elf, then muttered very fast, "Mistress would never forgive Kreacher if the tapestry was thrown out, seven centuries it's been in the family, Kreacher must save it, Kreacher will not let Master and the blood traitors and the brats destroy it-"

"I thought it might be that," said Sirius, casting a disdainful look at the opposite wall. "She'll have put another Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, I don't doubt, but if I can get rid of it I certainly will. Now go away, Kreacher."

It seemed that Kreacher did not dare disobey a direct order; nevertheless, the look he gave Sirius as he shuffled out past him was full of deepest loathing and he muttered all the way out of the room.

"-comes back from Azkaban ordering Kreacher around, oh, my poor mistress, what would she say if she saw the house now, scum living in it, her treasures thrown out, she swore he was no son of hers and he's back, they say he's a murderer too-"

"Keep muttering and I will be a murderer!" said Sirius irritably as he slammed the door shut on the elf.

"Sirius, he's not right in the head," Hermione pleaded, "I don't think he realises we can hear him."

"Huh, Hermione, it's not Dobby you're defending, here." Rohini pointed out. "This one is a little-"

"If you could just set him free, Sirius," said Hermione hopefully, "maybe-"

"We can't set him free, he knows too much about the Order," said Sirius curtly. "And anyway, the shock would kill him. You suggest to him that he leaves this house, see how he takes it."

Sirius walked across the room to where the tapestry Kreacher had been trying to protect hung the length of the wall. Rohini and the others followed.

The tapestry looked immensely old; it was faded and looked as though doxys had gnawed it in places. Nevertheless, the golden thread with which it was embroidered still glinted brightly enough to show them a sprawling family tree dating back to the Middle Ages. Large words at the very top of the tapestry read:

 _The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black 'Toujours pure'_

"Always… pure?" Rohini said, puzzled. "Wow. Talk about having an ego."

"You're not on here!" said Harry.

"I used to be there," said Sirius, pointing at a small, round, charred hole in the tapestry, rather like a cigarette burn. "My sweet old mother blasted me off after I ran away from home- Kreacher's quite fond of muttering the story under his breath."

"You ran away from home?"

"Can't hold it against you." Rohini mumbled, giving the gloomy room a dark look.

"When I was about sixteen," said Sirius. "I'd had enough."

"Where did you go?" asked Harry, staring at him.

"Your dad's place," said Sirius. "Your grandparents were really good about it; they sort of adopted me as a second son. Yeah, I camped out at your dad's in the school holidays, and then when I was seventeen I got a place of my own, my Uncle Alphard had left me a decent bit of gold- he's been wiped off here too, that's probably why- anyway, after that I looked after myself. I was always welcome at Mr. and Mrs. Potters for Sunday lunch, though."

"That's pretty sweet of them." Rohini said with a weak smile, wondering what their grandparents had looked like. "Not like your mother."

"Yeah, I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal... my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them... that's him."

Sirius jabbed a finger at the very bottom of the tree, at the name 'Regulus Black'. A date of death (some fifteen years previously) followed the date of birth.

"He was younger than me," said Sirius, "and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded."

"But he died." said Harry. Rohini elbowed him.

"Yeah," said Sirius. "Stupid idiot... he joined the Death Eaters."

"Wait, what?"

"You're kidding!"

"Come on, Harry, haven't you seen enough of this house to tell what kind of wizards my family were?" said Sirius testily.

"See what you mean, yeah…" Rohini mumbled. "And your parents?"

"No, no, but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having pure-bloods in charge. They weren't alone, either, there were quite a few people, before Voldemort showed his true colours, who thought he had the right idea about things... They got cold feet when they saw what he was prepared to do to get power, though. But I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first."

"Was he killed by an Auror?" Harry asked tentatively. Rohini elbowed him again.

"Oh, no," said Sirius. "No, he was murdered by Voldemort. Or on Voldemort's orders, more likely; I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person. From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service or death."

Rohini shivered as the white face of a Sirius like boy floated in the back of her mind, his eyes lifeless.

"Lunch." said Mrs Weasley's voice.

She was holding her wand high in front of her, balancing a huge tray loaded with sandwiches and cake on its tip. She was very red in the face and still looked angry. The others moved over to her, eager for some food, but Harry and Rohini remained with Sirius, who had bent closer to the tapestry.

"I haven't looked at this for years. There's Phineas Nigellus ... my great-great-grandfather, see? Least popular headmaster Hogwarts ever had... and Araminta Meliflua... cousin of my mother's... tried to force through a Ministry Bill to make Muggle-hunting legal... and dear Aunt Elladora... she started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to carry tea trays... of course, any time the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned. I see Tonks isn't on here. Maybe that's why Kreacher won't take orders from her-he's supposed to do whatever anyone in the family asks him..."

"You and Tonks are related?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Oh, yeah, her mother Andromeda was my favourite cousin," said Sirius, examining the tapestry closely. "No, Andromeda's not on here either, look-"

He pointed to another small round burn mark between two names, Bellatrix and Narcissa.

"Andromeda's sisters are still here because they made lovely, respectable pure-blood marriages, but Andromeda married a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks, so-"

"Hold on. Sirius, what the heck does that mean?" Rohini interrupted him, pointing at the names to the right of Andromeda's burn mark.

A double line of gold embroidery linked Narcissa Black with Lucius Malfoy and a single vertical gold line from their names led to the name Draco.

"You're related to the Malfoys!"

"The pure-blood families are all interrelated," said Sirius. "If you're only going to let your sons and daughters marry pure-bloods our choice is very limited; there are hardly any of us left. Molly and I are cousins by marriage and Arthur's something like my second cousin once removed. But there's no point looking for them on here-if ever a family was a bunch of blood traitors it's the Weasleys."

But Rohini was now looking at the name to the left of Andromeda's burn: Bellatrix Black, which was connected by a double line to Rodolphus Lestrange. "I remember- Voldemort, he said this name, the night he came back."

"They're in Azkaban." said Sirius shortly. "Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus came in with Barty Crouch, Junior," he explained, in the same brusque voice. "Rodolphus's brother Rabastan was with them, too."

"You never said she was your-" Harry started and this time, Rohini slapped the back of his head. "What?!"

"Does it matter if she's my cousin?" snapped Sirius. "As far as I'm concerned, they're not my family. She's certainly not my family. I haven't seen her since I was your age, unless you count a glimpse of her coming into Azkaban. D'you think I'm proud of having a relative like her?"

"Sorry," said Harry quickly, "I didn't mean- I was just surprised, that's all-"

"It doesn't matter, don't apologise," Sirius mumbled. He turned away from the tapestry, his hands deep in his pockets. "I don't like being back here," he said, staring across the drawing room. "I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again."

"I promise we'll manage to get you out of this place, eventually." Rohini said. "And you will never, ever have to come back. I promise."

A moment passed before Sirius gave a short, bark-like laugh. "If my parents could see the use their house was being put to now... well, my mother's portrait should give you some idea."

He scowled for a moment, then sighed.

"I wouldn't mind if I could just get out occasionally and do something useful. I've asked Dumbledore whether I can escort you to your hearing- as Snuffles, obviously- so I can give you a bit of moral support, what d'you think?"

"That could be nice." Rohini said, before turning to Harry, who had grew stiff.

"Don't worry, Harry." Sirius said. "I'm sure they'll clear you, there's definitely something in the International Statute of Secrecy about being allowed to use magic to save your own life."

"But if they do expel me," said Harry quietly, "can I come back here and live with you?"

Sirius smiled sadly.

"We'll see."

"I'd feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys." Harry pressed him.

"They must be bad if you prefer this place." said Sirius gloomily.

"Less dusty, of course, but at least he'll not be alone if he have you." Rohini said. "I hate the idea of having him alone, especially with those people; as pleasant as the idea of him and Voldemort having a tea party together."

It made both Sirius and Harry smile, and Rohini felt a bit better.

"Come on, you two, or there won't be any food left." She said, clapping their backs forward.

Emptying the glass-fronted cabinets that afternoon was a job that required a lot of concentration, as many of the objects in there seemed very reluctant to leave their dusty shelves. Sirius sustained a bad bite from a silver snuffbox; within seconds his bitten hand had developed an unpleasant crusty covering like a tough brown glove.

"Beurk." Rohini grimaced. "You doing fine?"

"It's OK," Sirius said, examining the hand with interest before tapping it lightly with his wand and restoring its skin to normal, "must be Wartcap powder in there."

He threw the box aside into the sack where they were depositing the debris from the cabinets; Rohini saw George wrap his own hand carefully in a cloth moments later and sneak the box into his pocket. When he caught sight of Rohini watching, he have her a mysterious smile and a wink.

They found an unpleasant-looking silver instrument, something like a many-legged pair of tweezers, which scuttled up Harry's arm like a spider when he picked it up, and attempted to puncture his skin. Rohini yelled and grabbed an old umbrella, yielding it like a baseball bat and smashed it with all her strength under her friends' cheers.

There also was a musical box that emitted a faintly sinister, tinkling tune when wound, and they all found themselves becoming curiously weak and sleepy, until Ginny had the sense to slam the lid shut; a heavy locket that none of them could open; a number of ancient seals; and, in a dusty box, an Order of Merlin, First Class, that had been awarded to Sirius's grandfather for 'services to the Ministry'.

"It means he gave them a load of gold." said Sirius contemptuously throwing the medal into the rubbish sack.

Several times Kreacher sidled into the room and attempted to smuggle things away under his loincloth, muttering horrible curses every time they caught him at it. When Sirius wrested a large golden ring bearing the Black crest from his grip, Kreacher actually burst into furious tears and left the room sobbing under his breath and calling Sirius names Rohini had never heard before.

"Damn, I could learn a few birds' name from him." Rohini said dully.

"It was my father's," said Sirius, throwing the ring into the sack. "Kreacher wasn't quite as devoted to him as to my mother, but I still caught him snogging a pair of my father's old trousers last week."

"Creepy." Rohini pointed out.

Mrs. Weasley kept them all working very hard over the next few days. The drawing room took three days to decontaminate. Finally, the only undesirable things left in it were the tapestry of the Black family tree, which resisted all their attempts to remove it from the wall, and the rattling writing desk. Moody had not dropped by headquarters yet, so they could not be sure what was inside it.

They moved from the drawing room to a dining room on the ground floor where they found spiders as large as saucers lurking in the dresser (Ron left the room hurriedly to make a cup of tea and did not return for an hour and a half). The china, which bore the Black crest and motto, was all thrown unceremoniously into a sack by Sirius, and the same fate met a set of old photographs in tarnished silver frames, all of whose occupants squealed shrilly as the glass covering them smashed.

Snape might refer to their work as 'cleaning', but in Rohini's opinion they were really waging war on the house, which was putting up a very good fight, aided and abetted by Kreacher.

The house-elf kept appearing wherever they were congregated, his muttering becoming more and more offensive as he attempted to remove anything he could from the rubbish sacks. Sirius went as far as to threaten him with clothes, but Kreacher fixed him with a watery stare and said, 'Master must do as Master wishes,' before turning away and muttering very loudly, 'but Master will not turn Kreacher away, no, because Kreacher knows what they are up to, oh yes, he is plotting against the Dark Lord, yes, with these Mudblood and traitors and scum...'

At which Sirius, ignoring Hermione's protests, seized Kreacher by the back of his loincloth and threw him bodily from the room.

The doorbell rang several times a day, which was the cue for Sirius's mother to start shrieking again, and for Harry and the others to attempt to eavesdrop on the visitor –Rohini couldn't hear anything- , though they gleaned very little from the brief glimpses and snatches of conversation they were able to sneak before Mrs. Weasley recalled them to their tasks.

Snape flitted in and out of the house several times more, though to Rohini's relief they never came face to face; they also caught sight of his Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall, looking very odd in a Muggle dress and coat, and she also seemed too busy to linger, though she did seemed concerned when Rohini told her about the recent magic burns she was suffering.

"We will have to have a talk about this once the school year starts, Potter." She told her before leaving, and Rohini gulped as she feared it meant the end of her Animagus training.

Sometimes, however, the visitors stayed to help. Tonks joined them for a memorable afternoon in which they found a murderous old ghoul lurking in an upstairs toilet, and Lupin, who was staying in the house with Sirius but who left it for long periods to do mysterious work for the Order, helped them repair a grandfather clock that had developed the unpleasant habit of shooting heavy bolts at passers-by.

Even Mundungus redeemed himself slightly in Mrs. Weasley's eyes by rescuing Ron from an ancient set of purple robes that had tried to strangle him when he removed them from their wardrobe.

Despite the fact that she was still sleeping badly, and that Harry was still having dreams about corridors and locked doors that made his scar prickle, the twins were managing to have fun for the first time all summer.

Sometimes though, when they were left alone for some precious minutes, Rohini and Harry would talk about Harry's fear to get expelled from Hogwarts, and Rohini would enumerate every reason he wouldn't be, and it seemed to calm her brother a bit until Wednesday evening.

Mrs. Weasley turned to Harry during dinner on Wednesday evening and said quietly, "I've ironed your best clothes for tomorrow morning, Harry, and I want you to wash your hair tonight, too. A good first impression can work wonders."

"Maybe I could try to give you a little haircut." Rohini suggested.

"Don't." Harry said flatly. "How am I getting there?" he asked Mrs. Weasley, obviously trying to sound unconcerned.

"Arthur's taking you to work with him." said Mrs. Weasley gently.

Mr. Weasley smiled encouragingly at Harry across the table.

"You can wait in my office until it's time for the hearing." he said.

Harry looked over at Sirius, but before he could ask the question, Mrs. Weasley had answered it.

"Professor Dumbledore doesn't think it's a good idea for Sirius to go with you, and I must say I-"

"-think he's quite right." said Sirius through clenched teeth.

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips.

"When did Dumbledore tell you that?" Rohini said, staring at Sirius. "We never saw him."

"He came last night, when you were in bed." said Mr. Weasley.

Sirius stabbed moodily at a potato with his fork. Harry lowered his own eyes to his plate. Rohini chewed her meat harder than needed.

"Will I at least be able to come?" She asked. "Harry is my brother, and I was here, too. Surely, they'd want to hear a witness?"

"Oh, right." Mrs. Weasley said. "We haven't received a letter at your subject yet, but-"

"Wait, no letters?" Rohini said, confused. "What kind of hearing is that, if they don't even think about summoning witnesses? Nevermind, I'm still going."

"Rohini-" Started Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm still going." Rohini repeated. She saw Sirius' smile before he hid it behind his hand. Mrs. Weasley pinched her lips, but nodded.

"Alright. You take a shower tonight. I'll make sure to have some proper clothes ready for you, too."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." Rohini said, trying to convey some affection, knowing her relationship with Molly was still tense. "I really appreciate it."

"It's all natural." Mrs. Weasley said with a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

The rest of the dinner was spent in an awkward quietness, and Rohini wondered once more if she should have hold back her words.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 : The Troubling Case of The Ministry of Magic

"I can't sleep."

Rohini blinked, not sure if the voice was a hallucination due to her own insomnia or not. With a grunt, she sat down and saw that Harry was doing the same, eyes fixed on the wall. It had been decided that since the twins both had to get up early the next day, they would share the same bedroom for one more night.

"I'd love to say 'geeze Harry, you woke me up' but I was already awake." Rohini sighed. "Bad dreams?"

"Hmm. You?"

"Nah, I know it will be fine." Rohini lied.

Harry chuckled.

"You're a bad liar, you know that?"

"Fine, I might be a tiny wee bit worried. But hey, I'll be there so there's nothing to worry about, ok?"

"If you say so." Harry sighed.

"Trust me. Anyway, what time is it?" Rohini asked with a yawn, pointing at Harry's watch.

"Half-past five."

"Urg, way too early. Bye." Rohini grunted, hiding her face under her pillow.

"Lazy bones. I'm gonna get dressed, don't look."

"That's the last thing I'd want to do." Rohini huffed.

She was starting to daze off when Harry shook her by the shoulders, telling her to get up and get dressed herself.

"I'm just gonna get breakfast first." Rohini mumbled, passing a tired hand in her already messy hair. "To get enough energy to actually put some clothes on."

"I forbid you to come to the hearing wearing pyjamas." Harry said flatly as the twins walked quietly down the stairs, past the heads of Kreacher's ancestors, and down into the kitchen.

However as they reached the door, Harry stopped Rohini and moved an index to his lips, probably hearing something. It must have been uninteresting though as he pushed the door opened a second later.

Waiting for them inside were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks, the lot of them sitting in front of a half-finished breakfast.

All were fully dressed except Mrs. Weasley, who was wearing a quilted purple dressing gown. She leapt to her feet the moment Harry and Rohini entered.

"Breakfast." she said as she pulled out her wand and hurried over to the fire.

"Hi everyone." Rohini said, having regrets about not getting dressed beforehand.

"M'ning, Rohini." yawned Tonks. Her hair was blonde and curly this morning. "Sleep all right?"

"Yeah." said Harry.

"Worse night of my life." Rohini sighed.

"Same." Tonks said, with another shuddering yawn. "Come and sit down, you two…"

She drew out a chair, knocking over the one beside it in the process and Rohini picked it up before dropping on it without a single ounce of elegance.

"What do you want, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley called. "Porridge? Muffins? Kippers? Bacon and eggs? Toast?"

"Just-just toast, thanks." said Harry.

"And you, Rohini?"

"A bit of everything please, I'm starving." Rohini said. It wasn't quite right, but she didn't want to go to the battlefield with an empty stomach. That, and the smell was truly mouth-watering.

Mrs. Weasley placed a couple of plates in front of the twins, as well as jams and marmalade. Then she sat down on Harry's other side and started fussing with his T-shirt, tucking in the label and smoothing out the creases across his shoulders. She tried to do the same with Rohini, only to realise she was still not properly dressed.

"I'll eat fast." Rohini promised, half her words lost in the muffin she was eating, not paying attention to the conversation between Tonks and Mr. Weasley who was not wearing wizards' robes but a pair of pinstriped trousers and an old bomber jacket.

"How are you feeling?" He asked Harry, looking at him cautiously.

Harry shrugged.

"It'll all be over soon," Mr. Weasley said bracingly. "In a few hours' time you'll be cleared."

"That he will." Rohini said as lightly as possible, giving Harry a little slap on the back, making him cough.

"The hearing's on my floor, in Amelia Bones's office. She's Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and she's the one who'll be questioning you."

"Amelia Bones is OK, Harry," said Tonks earnestly. "She's fair, she'll hear you out."

"No reason she wouldn't." Rohini added, before taking a sip of hot chocolate.

Harry nodded, still silent.

"Don't lose your temper," said Sirius abruptly. "Be polite and stick to the facts. Same goes to you, Rohini." He added with a heavy look at her.

"No idea what you talking 'bout." Rohini mumbled. "Besides, I'm not the one in troubles, here…"

"The law's on your side," said Lupin quietly. "Even underage wizards are allowed to use magic in life-threatening situations."

The more the adults kept trying to lighten the mood, the more stressed Rohini felt. They were trying way too hard, and the effect was the opposite of the one wanted.

Mrs. Weasley was now attacking Harry's hair with a wet comb. She pressed hard on the top of his head and Rohini winced in sympathy.

"Doesn't it ever lie flat?" she said desperately.

Harry shook his head.

"Never." Rohini confirmed.

Mr. Weasley checked his watch and looked up at Harry.

"I think we'll go now," he said. "We're a bit early, but I think you'll be better off at the Ministry than hanging around here."

"Wait, I'm not dr- be right back!" Rohini said quickly, grabbing one last piece of toast before running back upstairs. Struggling to button up a white shirt Hermione had kindly lend her, grimacing at how ridiculous she probably looked in a pencil brown skirt –where did Mrs. Weasley even found that?- and realising she only had old sneakers or her school uniform shoes to go along with it, Rohini finally darted back downstairs where everybody was waiting for her.

"Oh, Rohini dear, are you sure nothing can be done about your hair?" Mrs. Weasley asked, already coming over with a comb in her hand.

"I assure you Mrs. Weasley, our hair can't be tamed." Rohini said quickly, swiftly avoiding the ginger woman.

Mr. Weasley unbolted the door and they stepped out into the cold, grey dawn.

"Alright children, let's go!" He said, pushing the twins outside as they heard the door being locked behind them.

'You don't normally walk to work, do you?' Harry asked him, as they set off briskly around the square.

"No, I usually Apparate," said Mr. Weasley, "but obviously you can't, and I think it's best we arrive in a thoroughly non-magical fashion ... makes a better impression, given what you're being disciplined for..."

"I would have chosen better shoes if I'd knew we were gonna walk…" Rohini grumbled moodily.

Mr. Weasley kept his hand inside his jacket as they walked, clenched around his wand. The run-down streets were almost deserted, but when they arrived at the miserable little underground station they found it already lull of early-morning commuters. As ever when he found himself in close proximity to Muggles going about their daily business, Mr. Weasley was hard put to contain his enthusiasm.

"Simply fabulous," he whispered, indicating the automatic ticket machines. "Wonderfully ingenious."

"Will trust you on this." Rohini said, raising at eyebrow at the 'out of order' sign.

Harry bought their tickets instead from a sleepy-looking guard while Mr. Weasley marvelled about it and five minutes later they were boarding an underground train that rattled them off towards the centre of London.

During the ride, Mr. Weasley kept anxiously checking and re-checking the Underground Map above the windows.

"Four stops... three stops left now... two stops to go..."

Meanwhile, Rohini was making faces at a young child who laughed and waved at her until it was time to get off at a station in the very heart of London. They were instantly swept from the train in a tide of besuited men and women carrying briefcases, Rohini almost losing the two men as she got stuck in the crowd.

"Where are we?" said Mr. Weasley blankly, and for one heart-stopping moment the twins feared they had got off at the wrong station despite Mr. Weasley's continual references to the map; but a second later he said, "Ah yes ... this way, you two,' and led them down a side road.

"Sorry," he said, "but I never come by train and it all looks rather different from a Muggle perspective. As a matter of fact, I've never even used the visitors' entrance before."

"Even on your first day? Or for the job interview?" Rohini asked, getting a confused look from and an exasperated sigh from her brother.

The further they walked, the smaller and less imposing the buildings became, until finally they reached a street that contained several rather shabby-looking offices, a pub and an overflowing skip. Rohini raised a dubious eyebrow, wondering if perhaps Mr. Weasley had lost his way.

"Here we are," said Mr. Weasley brightly, pointing at an old red telephone box, which was missing several panes of glass and stood before a heavily graffitied wall. "After you, Rohini."

He opened the telephone-box door and Rohini exchanged a wary glance with Harry before stepping inside, her brother right behind her. Then, Mr. Weasley folded himself in beside Harry and closed the door. It was a tight fit; Rohini was jammed against the telephone apparatus, which was hanging crookedly from the wall as though a vandal had tried to rip it off. Mr. Weasley reached past Harry for the receiver.

"Mr. Weasley, I think this might be out of order, too." Harry said.

"No, no, I'm sure its fine," said Mr. Weasley, holding the receiver above his head and peering at the dial. "Let's see ... six..." he dialled the number, "two ... four ... and another four ... and another two..."

As the dial whirred smoothly back into place, a cool female voice sounded inside the telephone box, not from the receiver in Mr. Weasley's hand, but as loudly and plainly as though an invisible woman were standing right beside them. Rohini's fingers clenched nervously around the wand she didn't carry with her.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Er..." said Mr. Weasley, clearly uncertain whether or not he should talk into the receiver. He compromised by holding the mouthpiece to his ear, "Arthur Weasley, Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, here to escort Harry Potter, who has been asked to attend a disciplinary hearing-"

"Thank you," said the cool female voice. "Visitor, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes."

There was a click and a rattle, and Rohini saw something slide out of the metal chute where returned coins usually appeared. She picked it up: it was a square silver badge with Harry Potter, Disciplinary Hearing on it. She hand it to Harry who pinned it to the front of his T-shirt as the female voice spoke again.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

"I'm also a Visitor." Rohini spoke quickly. "Rohini Potter, here to act as a witness in my brother's hearing."

The same click and rattle happened as a silver badge baring Rohini's name fell out of the metal chute.

Then, the floor of the telephone box shuddered.

They were sinking slowly into the ground, just like an elevator would. Rohini glanced at Harry and saw him watching apprehensively as the pavement seemed to rise up past the glass windows of the telephone box until darkness closed over their heads.

They could hear only a dull grinding noise as the telephone box made its way down through the earth, the ominous sound tickling at Rohini's nape. After about a minute, a chink of golden light illuminated their feet and, widening, rose up his body, until it hit them in the face and forced them to blink.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day." said the woman's voice.

The door of the telephone box sprang open and Mr. Weasley stepped out of it, followed by the twins and Rohini couldn't hold back a surprised gasp.

They were standing at one end of a very long and splendid hall with a highly polished, dark wood floor. The peacock blue ceiling was inlaid with gleaming golden symbols that kept moving and changing like some enormous heavenly noticeboard. The wall's on each side were panelled in shiny dark wood and had many gilded fireplaces set into them. Every few seconds a witch or wizard would emerge from one of the left-hand fireplaces with a soft whoosh; on the right-hand side, short queues were forming before each fireplace, waiting to depart.

Halfway down the hall was a fountain. A group of golden statues, larger than life-size, stood in the middle of a circular pool. Tallest of them all was a noble-looking wizard with his wand pointing straight up in the air. Grouped around him were a beautiful witch, a centaur, a goblin and a house-elf. The last three were all looking adoringly up at the witch and wizard.

Glittering jets of water were flying from the ends of the two wands, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and each of the house-elf's ears, so that the tinkling hiss of falling water was added to the pops and cracks of the Apparators and the clatter of footsteps as hundreds of witches and wizards, most of whom were wearing glum, early-morning looks, strode towards a set of golden gates at the far end of the hall.

"Neat…" Rohini breathed.

"This way." said Mr. Weasley, pushing her forward.

They joined the throng, wending their way between the Ministry workers, some of whom were carrying tottering piles of parchment, others battered briefcases, still others were reading the Daily Prophet while they walked. As they passed the fountain Rohini saw silver Sickles and bronze Knuts glinting up at her from the bottom of the pool. A small smudged sign beside it read:

 _All proceeds from the fountain of magical brethren will be given to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries_

"Looks like a wish fountain of some kind." Rohini told Harry before ruffling through her pockets and throwing in two sickles, wishing for Harry to be proved innocent.

"Over here, you two." said Mr. Weasley, and they stepped out of the stream of Ministry employees heading for the golden gates.

Seated at a desk to the left, beneath a sign saying SECURITY, a badly-shaven wizard in peacock-blue robes looked up as they approached and put down his Daily Prophet.

"I'm escorting visitors." said Mr. Weasley, gesturing towards the twins.

"Step over here." said the wizard in a bored voice.

Harry walked closer to him and the wizard held up a long golden rod, thin and flexible as a car aerial, and passed it up and down Harry's front and back.

"Wand." grunted the security wizard at Harry, putting down the golden instrument and holding out his hand.

Harry produced his wand. The wizard dropped it on to a strange brass instrument, which looked something like a set of scales with only one dish. It began to vibrate. A narrow strip of parchment came speeding out of a slit in the base. The wizard tore this off and read the writing on it.

"Eleven inches, phoenix-feather core, been in use four years. That correct?"

"Yes." said Harry nervously.

"I keep this," said the wizard, impaling the slip of parchment on a small brass spike. "You get this back." He added, thrusting the wand at Harry.

"Thank you."

"Hang on..." said the wizard slowly.

His eyes had darted from the silver visitor's badge on Harry's chest to his forehead.

"Yes, he is Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, Hogwarts' Best Seeker." Rohini said annoyingly before stepping in front of her brother. "Shall we?"

The wizard blinked before looking down at Rohini's badge, his mouth popping opened.

"Eric, if you may check the young Rohini…" Mr. Weasley said firmly.

The man coughed before proceeding to do the same with Rohini as he had done with Harry.

"Wand?" He asked, holding up his hand.

"I forgot it home." Rohini admitted.

"A stupid mistake." The wizard grunted, shaking his head.

"Thank you, Eric." said Mr. Weasley firmly, and grasping the twins by the shoulder he steered them away from the desk and back into the stream of wizards and witches walking through the golden gates.

Jostled slightly by the crowd, Rohini followed Mr. Weasley through the gates into the smaller hall beyond, where at least twenty lifts stood behind wrought golden grilles. Nearby, stood a big bearded wizard holding a large cardboard box which was emitting rasping noises and Rohini felt the flame of curiosity lightening up inside her.

"All right, Arthur?" said the wizard, nodding at Mr. Weasley.

"What've you got there, Bob?" asked Mr. Weasley, looking at the box.

"We're not sure," said the wizard seriously. "We thought it was a bog-standard chicken until it started breathing fire. Looks like a serious breach of the Ban on Experimental Breeding to me."

"Neat!" Rohini said, trying to step closer but Harry pulled on her sleeve to keep her at bay from the box.

With a great jangling and clattering a lift descended in front of them; the golden grille slid back and the three of them stepped into the lift with the rest of the crowd, Rohini founding himself jammed against the back wall.

Several witches and wizards were looking at the twins curiously and Harry stared at his feet to avoid catching anyone's eye, flattening his fringe as he did so while Rohini looked up at the celling, humming.

The grilles slid shut with a crash and the lift ascended slowly, chains rattling, while the same cool female voice from telephone box rang out again.

"Level Seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club and Ludicrous Patents Office."

The lift doors opened; Rohini glimpsed an untidy-looking corridor, with various posters of Quidditch teams tacked lopsidedly on the walls. One of the wizards in the lift, who was carrying an armful of broomsticks, extricated himself with difficulty and disappeared down the corridor. The doors closed, the lift juddered upwards again and the woman's voice announced:

"Level Six, Department of Magical Transportation, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office, and Apparation Test Centre."

Once again the lift doors opened and four or five witches and wizards got out; at the same time, several paper aeroplanes swooped into the lift. Rohini stared up at them as they flapped idly around above her head; they were a pale violet colour and he could see MINISTRY OF MAGIC stamped along the edge of their wings.

"Just inter-departmental memos," Mr. Weasley muttered. "We used to use owls, but the mess was unbelievable... droppings all over the desks..."

As they clattered upwards again the memos flapped around the lamp swaying from the lift's ceiling.

"Level Five, Department of International Magical Cooperation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law and the International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats."

When the doors opened, two of the memos zoomed out with a few more of the witches and wizards, but several more memos zoomed in, so that the light from the lamp flickered and flashed overhead as they darted around it.

"Level Four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau."

"'S'cuse." said the wizard carrying the fire-breathing chicken and he left the lift pursued by a little flock of memos. The doors clanged shut yet again.

"Level Three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters, and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."

Everybody left the lift on this floor except Mr. Weasley, Harry, Rohini and a witch who was reading an extremely long piece of parchment that was trailing on the floor. The remaining memos continued to soar around the lamp as the lift juddered upwards again, then the doors opened and the voice made its announcement.

"Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."

"This is us," said Mr. Weasley, and they followed the witch out of the lift into a corridor lined with doors. "My office is on the other side of the floor."

"Mr. Weasley," said Harry, as they passed a window through which sunlight was streaming, "aren't we still underground?"

"Yes, we are," said Mr. Weasley. "Those are enchanted windows. Magical Maintenance decides what weather we'll get every day. We had two months of hurricanes last time they were angling for a pay rise..."

"Smart move of them." Rohini said with a nod.

They turned a corner, walked through a pair of heavy oak doors and emerged in a cluttered open area divided into cubicles, which was buzzing with talk and laughter. Memos were zooming in and out of cubicles like miniature rockets. A lopsided sign on the nearest cubicle read AUROR HEADQUARTERS.

Rohini saw that Harry was looking surreptitiously through the doorways as they passed and did the same. The Aurors had covered their cubicle walls with everything from pictures of wanted wizards and photographs of their families, to posters of their favourite Quidditch teams and articles from the Daily Prophet.

A scarlet-robed man with a ponytail longer than Bill's was sitting with his boots up on his desk, dictating a report to his quill. A little further along, a witch with a patch over one eye was talking over the top of her cubicle wall to Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Morning, Weasley," said Kingsley carelessly, as they drew nearer. "I've wanted a word with you, have you got a second?"

"Yes, if it really is a second," said Mr. Weasley, "I'm in rather a hurry."

They were talking as though they hardly knew each other and when Harry opened his mouth to say hello to Kingsley, Rohini elbowed him and gave him a hard look. They followed Kingsley along the row and into the very last cubicle which came as a shock to both twins. Blinking down at them from every direction was Sirius's face.

Newspaper cuttings and old photographs-even the one of Sirius being best man at the Potters' wedding-papered the walls. The only Sirius-free space was a map of the world in which little red pins were glowing like jewels.

"Here," said Kingsley brusquely to Mr. Weasley, shoving a sheaf of parchment into his hand. "I need as much information as possible on flying Muggle vehicles sighted in the last twelve months. We've received information that Black might still be using his old motorcycle."

Kingsley tipped Harry and Rohini an enormous wink and added, in a whisper, "Give him the magazine, he might find it interesting." Then he said in normal tones, "And don't take too long, Weasley, the delay on that firelegs report held our investigation up for a month."

"If you had read my report you would know that the term is "firearms"," said Mr. Weasley coolly. "And I'm afraid you'll have to wait for information on motorcycles; we're extremely busy at the moment." He dropped his voice and said, "If you can get away before seven, Molly's making meatballs."

He then led the twins out of Kingsley's cubicle, through a second set of oak doors, into another passage, turned left, marched along another corridor, turned right into a dimly lit and distinctly shabby corridor, and finally reached a dead end, where a door on the left stood ajar, revealing a broom cupboard, and a door on the right bore a tarnished brass plaque reading Misuse of Muggle Artefacts.

"How come you never get lost? It's worse than Hogwarts' stairs." Rohini complained.

Mr. Weasley's dingy office seemed to be slightly smaller than the broom cupboard. Two desks had been crammed inside it and there was barely space to move around them because of all the overflowing filing cabinets lining the walls, on top of which were tottering piles of files.

The little wall space available bore witness to Mr. Weasley's obsessions; there were several posters of cars, including one of a dismantled engine, two illustrations of postboxes he seemed to have cut out of Muggle children's books, and a diagram showing how to wire a plug.

Sitting on top of Mr. Weasley's overflowing in-tray was an old toaster that was hiccoughing in a disconsolate way and a pair of empty leather gloves that were twiddling their thumbs. A photograph of the Weasley family stood beside the in-tray. Rohini felt her chest tightening when she noticed that Percy appeared to have walked out of it.

"We haven't got a window," said Mr. Weasley apologetically, taking off his bomber jacket and placing it on the back of his chair. "We've asked, but they don't seem to think we need one. Have a seat, doesn't look as if Perkins is in yet."

Harry squeezed himself into the chair behind Perkins's desk while Mr. Weasley riffled through the sheaf of parchment Kingsley Shacklebolt had given him. Rohini decided to stay on her feet for the spare chair seemed ready to break at any given opportunity.

'Ah,' he said, grinning, as he extracted a copy of a magazine entitled The Quibbler from its midst, 'yes...' He flicked through it. 'Yes, he's right, I'm sure Sirius will find that very amusing-oh dear, what's this now?'

A memo had just zoomed in through the open door and fluttered to rest on top of the hiccoughing toaster. Mr. Weasley unfolded it and read aloud, '"Third regurgitating public toilet reported in Bethnal Green, kindly investigate immediately." This is getting ridiculous ...'

'A regurgitating toilet?'

'Anti-Muggle pranksters,' said Mr. Weasley, frowning. 'We had two last week, one in Wimbledon, one in Elephant and Castle. Muggles are pulling the flush and instead of everything disappearing-well, you can imagine. The poor things keep calling in those-pumbles, I think they're called-you know, the ones who mend pipes and things.'

'Plumbers?'

'-exactly, yes, but of course they're flummoxed. I only hope we can catch whoever's doing it.'

'Will it be Aurors who catch them?'

'Oh no, this is too trivial for Aurors, it'll be the ordinary Magical Law Enforcement Patrol-ah, Harry, this is Perkins.'

A stooped, timid-looking old wizard with fluffy white hair had just entered the room, panting.

'Oh, Arthur!' he said desperately, without looking at Harry. 'Thank goodness, I didn't know what to do for the best, whether to wait here for you or not. I've just sent an owl to your home but you've obviously missed it-an urgent message came ten minutes ago-'

'I know about the regurgitating toilet,' said Mr. Weasley.

'No, no, it's not the toilet, it's the Potter boy's hearing-they've changed the time and venue-it starts at eight o'clock now and it's down in old Courtroom Ten-'

'Down in old- but they told me-Merlin's beard-'

Mr. Weasley looked at his watch, let out a yelp and leapt from his chair.

'Quick, Harry, we should have been there five minutes ago!'

Perkins flattened himself against the filing cabinets as Mr. Weasley left the office at a run, Harry close on his heels.

'Why have they changed the time?' Harry said breathlessly, as they hurtled past the Auror cubicles; people poked out their heads and stared as they streaked past. Harry felt as though he had left all his insides back at Perkins's desk.

'I've no idea, but thank goodness we got here so early, if you'd missed it, it would have been catastrophic!'

Mr. Weasley skidded to a halt beside the lifts and jabbed impatiently at the 'down' button.

'Come ON!'

The lift clattered into view and they hurried inside. Every time it stopped Mr. Weasley cursed furiously and pummelled the number nine button.

'Those courtrooms haven't been used in years,' said Mr. Weasley angrily. 'I can't think why they're doing it down there-unless-but no...'

A plump witch carrying a smoking goblet entered the lift at that moment, and Mr. Weasley did not elaborate.

'The Atrium,' said the cool female voice and the golden grilles slid open, showing Harry a distant glimpse of the golden statues in the fountain. The plump witch got out and a sallow-skinned wizard with a very mournful face got in.

'Morning, Arthur,' he said in a sepulchral voice as the lift began to descend. 'Don't often see you down here...'

'Urgent business, Bode,' said Mr. Weasley, who was bouncing on the balls of his feet and throwing anxious looks over at Harry.

'Ah, yes,' said Bode, surveying Harry unblinkingly. 'Of course.'

Harry barely had emotion to spare for Bode, but his unfaltering gaze did not make him feel any more comfortable.

'Department of Mysteries,' said the cool female voice, and left it at that.

'Quick, Harry,' said Mr. Weasley as the lift doors rattled open, and they sped up a corridor that was quite different from those above. The walls were bare; there were no windows and no doors apart from a plain black one set at the very end of the corridor. Harry expected them to go through it, but instead Mr. Weasley seized him by the arm and dragged him to the left, where there was an opening leading to a flight of steps.

'Down here, down here,' panted Mr. Weasley, taking two steps at a time. 'The lift doesn't even come down this far ... why they're doing it down there...'

They reached the bottom of the steps and ran along yet another corridor, which bore a great resemblance to the one that led to Snape's dungeon at Hogwarts, with rough stone walls and torches in brackets. The doors they passed here were heavy wooden ones with iron bolts and keyholes.

'Courtroom ... ten ... I think ... we're nearly ... yes.'

Mr. Weasley stumbled to a halt outside a grimy dark door with an immense iron lock and slumped against the wall, clutching at a stitch in his chest.

'Go on,' he panted, pointing his thumb at the door. 'Get in there.'

'Aren't-aren't you coming with-?'

'No, no, I'm not allowed. Good luck!'

Harry's heart was beating a violent tattoo against his Adam's apple. He swallowed hard, turned the heavy iron door handle and stepped inside the courtroom.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 : The troubling case of Being Heard

As she entered, Rohini barely heard Harry gasping by her side, for she was too occupied with her own shock when she actually _recognised_ the dungeon swallowing them. And as soon as she did, as soon as the memory from Dumbledore's Pensieve perfectly merged into the reality around the twins, she felt something lit inside her: sheer anger.

'How dare they?' the twist of her mouth seemed to say as her fingers turn white from the strength of her clenched fists, 'how dare they!'

The dungeon was where the Lestranges –most loyal followers of Voldemort- were sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.

Rohini opened her mouth, but a single warning glance from Harry kept her quiet and cleared her head: right, now wasn't the time to bring more troubles upon her brother. But once he would be cleared of any charges, then…

A cold male voice rang across the courtroom.

"You're late. "

"Sorry," said Harry nervously, fidgeting with his shirt, "I-I didn't know the time had been changed. "

"That is not the Wizengamot's fault," said the voice. "An owl was sent to you this morning. Take your seat."

Rohini's anger rose in a blink as she glared furiously at the shadowy figures sitting in the highest benches of all, right ahead in ominous silence except from the man's statement. She couldn't tell if it was a purposeful provocation, or if the man treated every case with the same disdain.

"Rohi." Harry simply whispered as he stepped forward to the seat he had been invited to sit in.

"I'll behave." Rohini mumbled sternly before looking stiffly at the chair in the centre of the room, the arms of which were covered in chains.

'Unless they start treating you like a murderer' she thought, gritting her teeth.

Rohini started walking towards the chair to stand behind Harry, when a witch cleared her throat loudly.

Looking up, Rohini tried to find the source of this nerve wrecking sound within the within the group of wizards and witches sitting in plum-coloured robes with an elaborately worked silver 'W' on the left-hand side.

As she did so, she saw that in the very middle of the front row sat Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, a portly man who often sported a lime-green bowler hat. On Fudges right was a witch, but she was sitting so far back on the bench that her face was in shadow. She cleared her throat once more, and Rohini focused her attention on her politely.

"Yes?" She asked, trying to keep her voice even.

"I'm sorry, but I'm sure this hearing is for Mr. Potter right here." The witch spoke in a fluttery, girlish, high-pitched voice that crawled under Rohini's skin like nails on a chalkboard.

"I'm aware of that." Rohini said, a polite smile that didn't reach her eyes floating on her lips, "but I would like to make sure my brother's hearing is done in utter fairness, and as a witness, I think you will probably want to hear me at some point."

Low whispers rose from the rows of plum coloured figures, and Rohini could see Fudge's fingers slightly clenching around the sheet he was holding as the witch by his side cleared her throat once more.

"I'm afraid you were not summoned to this hearing, dear." Said the witch.

"Which seems oddly unprofessional, don't you think?" Rohini asked, politeness gone from her icy tone. "To 'forget' to summon a witness? One could think you truly don't want any chances on my brother's sid-"

"ENOUGH!," Fudge snapped and a few wizards jumped at the sudden outburst, "very well, you might stay Miss Potter but one more accusing remark and you will be forced to leave this room," said Fudge, his face red as he whipped the sweat off his face with an handkerchief. "Now, the accused being present -finally - and with the promise of no further interruptions- let us begin. Are you ready?" he called down the row.

"Yes, sir," said an eager voice that made Rohini cringe: it was Percy Weasley, sitting at the very end of the front bench, his eyes fixed on his parchment, a quill poised in his hand.

Ignoring her shaky, sweaty hands, Rohini took a deep breath and stepped closer to Harry in an attempt to convey some kind of hope and reassurance to her sick looking twin.

"Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth of August," said Fudge in a ringing voice, and Percy began taking notes at once, "into offences committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."

Rohini started fidgeting with her skirt, unable to keep still as the tension built. As refreshing as the dungeon's temperature was, she felt like an oven had been lit inside her chest, fire and ashes flowing through her veins straight to her head, making her dizzy.

"Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley-"

"-Witness for the defence, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," said a quiet voice from behind the twins who jumped and turned their head so fast Rohini winced in pain as she cricked her neck.

"No way in hell!" Rohini gasped, and Harry managed to elbow her hard through his bafflement.

Dumbledore was striding serenely across the room wearing long midnight-blue robes and a perfectly calm expression. His long silver beard and hair gleamed in the torchlight as he drew level with Harry and Rohini, looking up at Fudge through the half-moon spectacles that rested halfway down his very crooked nose.

Rohini opened her mouth, closed it, thought about what to say, and realised it would be wiser to keep quiet.

The members of the Wizengamot were muttering. All eyes were now on Dumbledore. Some looked annoyed, others slightly frightened; two elderly witches in the back row, however, raised their hands and waved in welcome.

If Fudge had looked flustered by Rohini's behaviour before, it was nothing in comparison to the way he looked now that Dumbledore was here.

"Ah," he said, looking thoroughly disconcerted. "Dumbledore. Yes. You-er-got our-er- message that the time and er- place of the hearing had been changed, then?"

"I must have missed it," said Dumbledore cheerfully. "However, due to a lucky mistake I arrived at the Ministry three hours early, so no harm done."

"Yes-well-I suppose we'll need another chair-I-Weasley, could you…? And brings one for Miss Potter, too."

"You're too kind." Rohini breathed through her teeth.

"Not to worry, not to worry," said Dumbledore pleasantly; he took out his wand, gave it a little flick, and two squashy chintz armchairs appeared out of nowhere on each side of Harry. Dumbledore sat down on the left, put the tips of his long fingers together and surveyed Fudge over them with an expression of polite interest.

Shaking her head, Rohini took place on her brother's right, Straightening her stance and glaring defiantly at the assembly facing them.

The Wizengamot was still muttering and fidgeting restlessly; only when Fudge spoke again did they settle down.

"Yes," said Fudge again, shuffling his notes. "Well, then. So. The charges. Yes."

He extricated a piece of parchment from the pile before him, took a deep breath, and read out, "The charges against the accused are as follows:

That he did knowingly, deliberately and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, having received a previous written warning from the Ministry of Magic on a similar charge, produce a Patronus Charm in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of a Muggle, on the second of August at twenty-three minutes past nine, which constitutes an offence under Paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery-"

Rohini glanced at Harry who seemed as horrified as her at the idea of having to head the whole Decree before being heard.

"You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" Fudge finally said, glaring at Harry over the top of his parchment.

"Yes." Harry said.

"You received an official warning from the Ministry for using illegal magic three years ago, did you not?"

"Yes, but-"

"And yet you conjured a Patronus on the night of the second of August?" said Fudge, ignoring Harry's attempt to remind him that Dobby was the one behind the use of magic that night.

Rohini's eyes narrowed menacingly as her fears got confirmed; they weren't here to prove Harry's innocence at all. It will not be a fair trial, as to be expected…

"If I may," She said loud enough to bring everybody's attention on her."

"Miss Potter," Fudge said slowly, his cheeks red and glimmering with sweat, "If you keep interrupting-"

"My apologises, Minister. I simply wanted to make sure it was known of all here that this accusation had been dropped two years ago, when you assured my brother and I while sitting at the Leaky Cauldron that it had just been a simple mistake? If I do indeed remember properly, you assured us that morning that you were aware of the House Elf's Dobby's use of magic at Privet Drive."

If glares could kill, Rohini would have been lying in her own blood the moment she closed her mouth, the dungeon ominously silent as all looked down at this defiant, skinny child dressed in clothes too big for her.

For a second, Rohini thought she might have gone too far, but one glance at Harry reassured her. Though obviously bothered, her brother seemed grateful for her stance on defending him nails and teeth. Then, a witch with a monocle spoke: "Let's go back to the case."

"Very well," Fudge spite, adjusting his reading glasses, " As I was saying, you used magic outside school knowing that you were under the age of seventeen to summon a Patronus-"

The witch with the monocle cut across him in a booming voice.

"You produced a fully-fledged Patronus?"

"Yes," said Harry, shaking his head as if trying to reconnect with the current situation, "because-"

"A corporeal Patronus?" The witch insisted.

"A-what?" said Harry.

"One that's clearly formed." Rohini explained.

"Oh, yes," said Harry, clearly wondering what was the point of this question, "it's a stag, it's always a stag."

"Always?" boomed Madam Bones. "You have produced a Patronus before now?"

"Yes," said Harry, "I've been doing it for over a year. So does Rohini."

"Mine is a Blackbuck." Rohini explained.

"And you are both fifteen years old?"

"As far as we know, yeah." Rohini agreed.

"You learned this at school?"

"During our third year, with Professor Lupin." Harry explained.

"Impressive," said Madam Bones, staring down at Harry, then at Rohini, then at the rest of her colleagues, "a true Patronus at such age... very impressive indeed."

Some of the wizards and witches around her were muttering again; a few nodded, but others were frowning and shaking their heads. As for Rohini, she couldn't help a proud grin on her face as she blushed a little.

"It's not a question of how impressive the magic was," said Fudge in a testy voice, "in fact, the more impressive the worse it is, I would have thought, given that the boy did it in plain view of a Muggle!"

Those who had been frowning now murmured in agreement.

"I did it because of the Dementors!" Harry said loudly, before anyone could interrupt him again. Rohini bit her lips, wishing Harry had decided to let the fierceness to herself; the more attention she drew on her, the least they'll have to hold against her brother.

The silence that fell was as dense as the one that had followed Rohini's snarling comments.

"Dementors?" said Madam Bones after a moment, her thick eyebrows rising until her monocle looked in danger of falling out. "What do you mean, boy?"

"Weren't you even aware of that?" Rohini asked, bemused. "Why else would someone use a Patronus Charm?"

"There were two Dementors down that alleyway and they went for us and our cousin!" Harry said, a vein throbbing on his neck, his fingers clenching the chair.

"Ah," said Fudge again, smirking unpleasantly as he looked around at the Wizengamot, as though inviting them to share the joke. "Yes. Yes, I thought we'd be hearing something like this."

Rohini bit her tongue to refrain from cursing, not wishing to be the one taken to Azkaban for insulting the Minister. She threw a side glance to Dumbledore, wondering when the wizard would decide to finally interfere, but he was in the same position as before, content to just listen.

For some reasons, it only put oil on the fire and Rohini found herself thinking that if he wasn't here to help, then maybe he shouldn't have come at all.

"Dementors in Little Whinging?" Madam Bones said, in a tone of great surprise. "I don't understand-"

"Don't you, Amelia?" said Fudge, still smirking. "Let me explain. He's been thinking it through and decided Dementors would make a very nice little cover story, very nice indeed. Muggles can't see Dementors, can they, boy? Highly convenient, highly convenient... did your sister help you come out with this one?"

Rohini was on her feet so fast she knocked off the chair she was sitting on. As soon as she did, she caught glimpse of a few wizards stiffening with a hand disappearing through their dress, probably to have their wand at the ready. Rohini would have laughed at how grown up men got so easily startled by a child, but she was beyond that right now, her fists clenched so hard she could feel her short nails starting to bite into the softness of her palms.

"I'm not lying!" said Harry loudly, over another outbreak of muttering from the court, and one glance at her brother informed Rohini he was as furious as her. "There were two of them, coming from opposite ends of the alley everything went dark and cold and my cousin felt them and ran for it-"

"Enough, enough!" said Fudge, with a very supercilious look on his face, "I'm sorry to interrupt what I'm sure would have been a very well-rehearsed story-"

"This is NOT a godamn game, you-"Rohini started to growl, but wasn't able to finish for Dumbledore chose this moment to clear his throat.

The Wizengamot fell silent again.

"I would like to remind the court that we do, in fact, have two witnesses to the presence of Dementors in that alleyway," he said, "others than Dudley Dursley, I mean, one of which is already with us and doing a good job at defending young Harry Potter."

Fudge's plump face seemed to slacken, as though somebody had let air out of it. He stared down at Dumbledore for a moment or two, then, with the appearance of a man pulling himself back together, said, "We haven't got time to listen to more tarradiddles, I'm afraid, Dumbledore. I want this dealt with quickly-"

"I may be wrong," said Dumbledore pleasantly, "but I am sure that under the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, the accused has the right to present witnesses for their case? Isn't that the policy of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Madam Bones?" he continued, addressing the witch in the monocle.

"True," said Madam Bones. "Perfectly true."

"Oh, very well, very well," snapped Fudge. "I'm sure we can all agree Miss Potter has already given her fair share of insights. Where is this second person?"

"I brought her with me," said Dumbledore. "She's just outside the door. Should I-?"

"No-Weasley, you go," Fudge barked at Percy, who got up at once, ran down the stone steps from the judge's balcony and hurried past Dumbledore and the twins without glancing at them.

He returned a moment later, followed by Mrs. Figg, who looked scared and battier than ever. Rohini started laughing in bafflement when she realised she was still wearing her carpet slippers.

Still, Mrs. Figg found the strength to give Rohini a shy smile when she saw the girl waving at her.

Dumbledore stood up and gave Mrs. Figg his chair, conjuring a second one for himself.

"Full name?" said Fudge loudly, when Mrs. Figg had perched herself nervously on the very edge of her seat.

"Arabella Doreen Figg." said Mrs. Figg in her quivery voice.

"And who exactly are you?" said Fudge, in a bored and lofty voice.

"I'm a resident of Little Whinging, close to where Harry and Rohini Potter lives." said Mrs. Figg.

"We have no record of any witch or wizard living in Little Whinging, other than the Potters," said Madam Bones at once. "That situation has always been closely monitored, given... given past events."

"I'm a Squib," said Mrs. Figg. "So you wouldn't have me registered, would you?"

"A Squib, eh?" said Fudge, eyeing her closely. "We'll be checking that. You'll leave details of your parentage with my assistant, Weasley. Incidentally, can Squibs see Dementors?" he added, looking left and right along the bench.

Rohini gasped; was this man truly in charge of the Wizardly world?

"Yes, we can!" said Mrs. Figg indignantly.

Fudge looked back down at her, his eyebrows raised. "Very well," he said aloofly. "What is your story? And Miss Potter, please seat down!" He barked at Rohini who locked eyes with him before sitting on the floor, arms crossed, her good intentions to become a calmer, less hot blooded witch already forgotten.

Mrs. Figg gulped and glanced one last time at Dumbledore before speaking.

"I had gone out to buy cat food from the corner shop at the end of Wisteria Walk, around about nine o'clock, on the evening of the second of August," gabbled Mrs. Figg at once, as though she had learned what she was saying by heart, "when I heard a disturbance down the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. On approaching the mouth of the alleyway I saw Dementors running-"

"Running?" said Madam Bones sharply. "Dementors don't run, they glide."

"That's what I meant to say," said Mrs. Figg quickly, patches of pink appearing in her withered cheeks. "Gliding along the alley towards what looked like two boys and a girl."

"What did they look like?" said Madam Bones, narrowing her eyes so that the edge of the monocle disappeared into her flesh.

"Well, one was very large and the other one rather skinny-"

This time, Rohini wasn't so discreet when she chuckled and looked down sheepishly under Madam Bones' glare.

"No, no," said Madam Bones impatiently. "The Dementors... describe them."

"Oh," said Mrs Figg, the pink flush creeping up her neck now. "hey were big. Big and wearing cloaks."

Memories of that night started dancing in front of Rohini's eyes, and for the split of a second, she forgot where she was sitting, her eyes only seeing the heavy mist surrounding her and the cloaked figure holding her by the neck, hovering inches over the ground, a terrible rattling noise inching closer as it sucked on the surrounding air, trying to give her a kiss…

"Big and wearing cloaks," repeated Madam Bones coolly, while Fudge snorted derisively. "I see. Anything else?"

Rohini shook her head, but as the room came into view once more, the coldness that had wrapped around her body remained.

"You ok?" She heard Harry whispered to her, and she nodded absently, trying to regain focus on the hearing.

"Yes," said Mrs Figg. "I felt them. Everything went cold, and this was a very warm summer's night, mark you. And I felt... as though all happiness had gone from the world… and I remembered… dreadful things…"

Her voice shook and died.

Madam Bones's eyes widened slightly. Harry could see red marks under her eyebrow where the monocle had dug into it.

"What did the Dementors do?" she asked, leaning closer.

"They went for the children," said Mrs. Figg, her voice stronger and more confident now, the pink flush ebbing away from her face. "One of them had fallen. The other was backing away, trying to repel the Dementor. That was Harry. Rohini ran to her cousin, but got attacked. Harry tried twice and produced only silver vapour. On the third attempt, he produced a Patronus, which charged down the first Dementor and then, with his encouragement, chased the second one that was trying to… to kiss Rohini."

A wave of shocked whispers rose from the benches. Rohini felt invisible spiders crawl around her neck as she recalled the putrefied hand around it, how close she had been to… to…

"Very well," said Fudge. "You may go."

Rohini shook her head and looked up.

Mrs. Figg was casting a frightened look from Fudge to Dumbledore, then got up and shuffled off towards the door that thud shut behind her.

"Not a very convincing witness." said Fudge loftily and Rohini threw him a disgusted gl are.

"Oh, I don't know," said Madam Bones, in her booming voice. "She certainly described the effects of a Dementor attack very accurately. And I can't imagine why she would say they were there if they weren't."

"But Dementors wandering into a Muggle suburb and just happening to come across a wizard?" snorted Fudge. "The odds on that must be very, very long. Even Bagman wouldn't have bet-"

"Oh, I don't think any of us believe the Dementors were there by coincidence." said Dumbledore lightly.

The witch sitting to the right of Fudge, with her face in shadow, moved slightly but everyone else was quite still and silent.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Fudge asked icily.

"It means that I think they were ordered there." said Dumbledore.

"I think we might have a record of it if someone had ordered a pair of Dementors to go strolling through Little Whinging!" barked Fudge.

"The same way you have records about if the use of magic was performed by a wizard or a House Elf?" Rohini snapped, which was clearly the last straw for Fudge.

"Miss Potter, please leave!" He barked, pointing the door at her. "Or I'll make sure you'll have your own hearing for your behaviour toward authority figure!"

"Very well," Rohini spat, standing up. "But I'll tell you this; my brother is innocent, and you'll never be able to take that away from him."

And she left, the doors slamming shut behind her.

To say she was furious was an understatement. Rohini started pacing in front of the large doors, muttering and cursing under her breath; rubbing her hands together and occasionally starting to scratch at her skin with such intensity she drew a bit of blood.

She was shaking and burning and it took all her self-control to not let her untamed power release itself; as hot blooded and fierce and unfitted for social interactions as she was, Rohini wasn't a villain and didn't plan to become one on a bad impulse.

"Raaah!" She grunted as she dropped against a pillar, arms crossed. "That's the most frustrating day in my life!"

"Are you sure about that?" Said an amused voice behind her, "I recall you didn't look so amused when trying on dresses, last year…"

Rohini's eyes opened wild as she quickly stumbled to her feet.

Standing there was Mrs. Patil, smiling kindly at Rohini.

"I knew I'd find you there." She said, coming closer before giving Rohini a motherly embrace. "How is the hearing going?"

"I don't know." Rohini sighed, her shoulders slouching in defeat. "They clearly don't want Harry to be innocent, it's… it's crappy."

Mrs. Patil tightened her arms around Rohini, who found herself doing the same. It was such a comforting gesture…

"I'm sure you defended Harry as best as you could." Mrs. Patil assured her, taking a step back to look Rohini in the eyes. "I know you, Rohini."

Rohini felt her throat tightened; there was nothing but affection and honesty in Mrs. Patil gorgeous grey eyes.

The doors behind them suddenly opened once more, and Dumbledore left the dungeon, lightly biding his greetings to Mrs. Patil before excusing himself, for he was awaited elsewhere.

"Wait, have they deliberated yet?" Rohini asked while trotting after him, but no answer came from the old wizard and soon he was nowhere to be seen. "But-"

"Look over here, I think you'll have your answer." Mrs. Patil said, and when Rohini looked back, she saw Harry walking fast toward the two of them.

"Harry!" Rohini yelled, tackling her brother into a strong hug before checking him from tips to toes, as if he might have been attacked after she left the room. "What did they say?! Are you alright?! I swear to-"

"Rohini, calm down, I can't breathe!" Harry said, pushing her away gently. "They said I'm clear of all charges!"

With a loud cheer, Rohini brought her brother back into her strong embrace, ignoring his protest.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Troubling Case of Emotions and Celebration

A mere minute after, Mr. Weasley arrived, looking pale and nervous, but his whole expression brightened when Harry shared the good news with him.

"I will let you celebrate together," Mrs. Patil said, playing with her long braid, "I still have a report to fill, but I wanted to make sure you were both alright." She added, smiling at Rohini before hugging her one last time.

Then, she turned to Harry who smiled shyly at her.

"I'm sure this isn't the last time I'll heard of you, Harry." She said on a teasing tone, and Harry started to stutter, making the three others laugh. "Well, see you later, Arthur. Take care of those two."

"I will." Mr. Weasley said with a nod, just as the doors of the dungeons opened once more as the court finally took its leave.

One or two of the wizards nodded to Harry –but ignored Rohini- as they passed and a few, including Madam Bones, wished Mr. Weasley a good morning, but most averted their eyes.

Cornelius Fudge and a toad-like witch were almost the last to leave the dungeon. Fudge acted as though Mr. Weasley and the twins were part of the wall, but the witch looked almost appraisingly at Harry as she passed and Rohini twisted her nose in disgust.

Last of all to pass was Percy. Like Fudge, he completely ignored them as he marched past clutching a large roll of parchment and a handful of spare quills, his back rigid and his nose in the air. The lines around Mr. Weasley's mouth tightened slightly, but other than this he gave no sign that he had seen his third son.

"'Morning, Percy." Rohini said, loud enough to see his shoulders tense. "Glad to see you're doing well on your new position."

"Shut up, Rohi'." Harry said flatly but Rohini simply shrugged.

"Just being polite, as I was told to be." She said, grinning like a wolf.

"And we all saw where it leaded you today." Harry added, raising an eyebrow.

"Touché." Rohini laughed, passing an arm around her brother's neck.

"I'm going to take you straight back so you can tell the others the good news," Mr. Weasley said, beckoning the twins forwards as Percy's heels disappeared up the steps to Level Nine. "I'll drop you off on the way to that toilet in Bethnal Green."

"Fascinating." Rohini said lightly, her steps so light she was almost hopping.

They had just reached the ninth-level corridor when Mr. Weasley stopped abruptly. Wincing as she bumped into him, Rohini tilted her head to see what was going on and saw that Cornelius Fudge was standing a few feet away from them, talking quietly to a tall man with sleek blond hair and a pointed, pale face.

Rohini froze, still as stone as she recognised him.

"Well, well, well... Patronus Potter and our Triwizard champion." said Lucius Malfoy coolly.

 _Malfoy._

For the split of a second, Rohini thought a time turner had been used, for the last time she had met Malfoy's maleficent grey eyes, it had been through slits in a Death Eater's hood, in the dark graveyard where Voldemort returned.

It's only when she felt Harry's fingers clenching her shoulder that Rohini realised she had been holding her breath and was now shaking, though it was hard to tell if it was for sheer anger or from relieving that tragic night from weeks ago.

When she came in touch with reality once more, Rohini bared her teeth and snarled:

"You-"

"I would advise you not to pull on another… disgraceful show, Potter." Lucius said with a smirk, "I've heard that you were quite an untamed beast, when trying to… defend your brother."

Then, he turned to Harry.

"The Minister was just telling me about your lucky escape, Potter," he drawled. "Quite astonishing, the way you continue to wriggle out of very tight holes... Snakelike, in fact…"

"Yeah, both Rohini and I are good at escaping." Harry said coldly, now standing side by side with Rohini.

"Especially when people expect it the least." Rohini added, looking straight into Lucius Malfoy's eyes. "But I'm sure this fact isn't unfamiliar to people like you, right?"

Malfoy's eyes narrowed as he glared at her before he turned and tried to pick on Mr. Weasley instead, taunting him once more with his interests for Muggles' artifacts.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Harry asked.

"I don't think private matters between myself and the Minister are any concern of yours, Potter," said Malfoy, smoothing the front of his robes for all to distinctly heard the gentle clinking of what sounded like a full pocket of gold. "Really, just because you are Dumbledore's favourite boy, you must not expect the same indulgence from the rest of us... Shall we go up to your office, then, Minister?"

"Certainly," said Fudge, turning his back on the twins and Mr. Weasley. "This way, Lucius."

"Good ridding." Rohini muttered between her clenched teeth, watching them strode off together, talking in low voices.

"Why wasn't he waiting outside Fudge's office if they've got business to do together?" Harry burst out furiously. "What was he doing down here? What private business have they got together, anyway?"

"Gold, I expect," said Mr. Weasley angrily. "Malfoy's been giving generously to all sorts of things for years..."

"Money can get you a pass to and for everything…" Rohini sighed, shaking her head.

"Exactly; it gets him in with the right people, then he can ask favours such as to delay laws he doesn't want passed… Now come, the lift is here." Mr. Weasley grumbled, pushing the twins inside.

The lift was empty except for a flock of memos that flapped around Mr. Weasley's head as he pressed the button for the Atrium and the doors clanged shut. He waved them away irritably.

"Mr. Weasley," said Harry slowly, "if Fudge is meeting Death Eaters like Malfoy, if he's seeing them alone, how do we know they haven't put the Imperius Curse on him?"

"Oh, that's smart." Rohini said, looking at Harry with pride. Harry gave her a little smile, but kept his attention on Mr. Wealsey.

"Don't think it hadn't occurred to us, Harry," said Mr. Weasley quietly. "But Dumbledore thinks Fudge is acting of his own accord at the moment-which, as Dumbledore says, is not a lot of comfort..."

"What an idiot," Rohini grumbled. "How did he even managed to get such an important title?"

The doors slid open before Mr. Weasley had the time to answer and they stepped out into the now almost-deserted Atrium.

Eric the watch wizard was hidden behind his Daily Prophet again.

They had walked straight past the golden fountain before Harry stopped in his tracks.

"Wait!" he told Mr. Weasley, and, pulling his moneybag from his pocket, he turned back to the fountain.

Then, Harry turned his moneybag upside-down and emptied not just ten Galleons, but the whole contents into the pool at the statues' feet.

"You sure felt generous today." Rohini said, raising her eyebrows as Harry trotted back to them, grinning. "Next time, use that money to treat your favourite sister to some chocolate and an ice cream or two, will ya?"

"Only if you reached the exit before me." Harry said with a grin before starting to run.

"Oh, you dirty cheater!" Rohini laughed before sprinting, ignoring Mr. Weasley's calls or the chastising looks from the adults around them; for just a few seconds, she wanted to behave like a normal teenager once more, and so did Harry.

And if anybody had anything to say about that, then Rohini couldn't care less about it than she did right now.

"I won!" Rohini chuckled, panting and resting her back against the glass, the coolness of its surface being an agreeable contrast against her damp shirt.

"It was a tie!" Harry gasped, resting his own forehead against the window of the lift of the cabin bringing them back to the surface world.

"Children." Mr. Weasley mumbled, shaking his head. "Don't let Molly hear about that, or she'll think I have no authority over you two."

Harry and Rohini exchanged a glance, puffing; it was a well-known fact Mr. Weasley wasn't the one his children were worried to cross, between him and Mrs. Weasley…

"Let's go home, now." Harry said, the light back in his beautiful green eyes.

"Yeah, let's do that." Rohini agreed, a smile never leaving her lips.

The way back home was calm and uneventful, but both twins were grateful for that. The calm atmosphere didn't last long however for everybody had been waiting for them on the edge, and started questioning the three of them all at once as soon as the door closed behind them.

"Of course he got cleared!" Ron shouted, clapping Harry's back with a huge relieved smile on his freckled face. "They had nothing against him!"

"Oh my god, I'm so, so glad- but of course, there was no way they could have- Oh, Harry!" Hermione shouted, bringing Harry into a hug so tight he weezed.

Mrs. Weasley was also here and wiping her face on her apron while Fred, George, and Ginny were doing a kind of war dance to a chant that went: "He got off, he got off, he got off-" that Rohini happily joined.

Mrs. Black's portrait was ineluctably triggered by all the chaos and started shrieking, and they were all sent to upstairs to keep going with their little celebration while the adults try to shut the curtains down.

They were all crowded in the twins' bedroom when Mrs. Weasley came with a large trail full of plates and cups as well as a fuming teapot, explaining that Harry needed to have a proper breakfast since he had barely ate that morning.

Ron and Hermione sat themselves down opposite him, looking happier than they had done since he had first arrived at Grimmauld Place. Rohini nestled between Harry and Ginny while Fred and George dropped on Harry's bed.

The gloomy house seemed warmer and more welcoming all of a sudden; with all of them here together, Rohini felt like she was at Hogwarts already and the illusion could have been complete if it wasn't for the absence of her two best friends.

"-'Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you," said Ron happily, now dishing great mounds of mashed potato on plates that they passed to each other 'till they were all happily eating.

"Yeah, he swung it for me," said Harry. He felt it would sound highly ungrateful, not to mention childish, to say, "I wish he'd talked to me, though. Or even looked at me."

The moment he said this, Harry clapped his hand to his scar with a frown and winced.

"Harry?" Rohini said, automatically bringing a hand to her brother's forehead, frowning as it was warmer than it should have been, especially considering the coolness of the room.

"What's up?" said Hermione, looking alarmed.

"Scar," Harry mumbled. "But it's nothing... It happens all the time now…"

"This isn't nothing, Harry." Ginny said sternly and Rohini nodded in agreement. "Have you talked about it with Sirius?"

"Maybe we should go to him." Rohini suggested, already on her feet. "Come on, you great slug." She grunted, trying to pull Harry on his feet, ignoring his protests.

"Sisters are always right." Ginny said, winking at Rohini before grabbing a toast. "See ya later."

As to be expected, Sirius was in his mother's room with Buckbeak.

While Rohini respectfully waited for Buckbeak to let her closer, Harry explained what had just happened to Sirius whose expression grew darker as he listened quietly.

"And it's not like I can talk about it directly with Dumbledore, now that he refuses to even look in my direction." Harry finished bitterly. "What do you think, Sirius?"

But Sirius didn't answer, his expression absent as he started at random spot of dust on the floor, his fingers tracing vague shapes on the mouldy floor.

"Padfoot?" Rohini asked, poking the man on the shoulder repeatedly. "You still with us?"

"Yeah, sorry," Sirius answered, shaking his head before rubbing his eyes. "It's this house, it's taking all my godamn brain cells away."

"Feel the same when I'm at Privet Drive." Rohini said with a smile.

"At least you're able to go outside and escape this hell place." Sirius said dryly before sighing. "Forget I said that, it's not… anyway, about your scar." He added quickly, turning to Harry.

"Sirius-"Harry started, looking guilty, but Sirius waved his hand with great annoyance.

"I think Dumbledore definitely needs to pay closer attention to it." Sirius said, resting his chin against his joined hands. "I will try to talk to him next time he's here, but I can't guarantee he'll listen to me, so maybe I should ask Remus to tell him instead. But for now," –a grin was back on Sirius' face, making him look a couple of years younger- "I want to hear all about the hearing; Molly suggested you both did quite an impression."

"Yeah, Rohini was forced to wait outside." Harry said, grinning. "I think you'll have been proud of her."

"I'm always proud of you two." Sirius said with such honesty that Rohini felt her throat tighten a little.

They spent the next few minutes explaining everything that had been said to Sirius as dramatically as they could, but Rohini wasn't blind; Sirius might be genuinely happy that Harry got cleared, but there was still this shadow hovering on his face.

It didn't take long to figure out why; after talking about what had happened with Ron and Hermione, Harry brought up the fact he would have lived with Sirius if things had gone sour for him, though they had never properly talked about it.

"He just didn't want to get his own hopes up even more," said Hermione wisely as the four of them were sitting on Harry's bed. "And he probably felt a bit guilty himself, because I think a part of him was really hoping you'd be expelled. Then you'd both be outcasts together."

"Hey, Hermione!" Rohini gasped, eyes opened wild at her friend's harsh words.

"Come off it!" snapped Harry and Ron together, but Hermione merely shrugged.

"Suit yourselves. But I sometimes think Ron's mum's right and Sirius gets confused about whether you're you or your father, Harry."

"So you think he's touched in the head?" said Harry heatedly.

"No, I just think he's been very lonely for a long time." said Hermione simply.

"You're pushing it, Hermione." Rohini said with a frown. "Sirius might not be the healthiest man around, and he probably carries more trauma than anyone else, but he's not that kind of guy."

At this point, Mrs. Weasley poked her head through the door.

"Girls, it's time for bed, go to your own room. Rohini, have you properly moved in with Ginny and Hermione yet? Great. Now, off you go!"

"Goodnight, guys." Rohini said, kissing them on the cheeks, ignoring their protests and grimaces. "Don't let that eat you, Harry. I'm sure you're not the one Sirius is holding a grudge against."

"Probably." Harry sighed, walking her to the bedroom door. "But I didn't help."

Rohini sighed with a roll of her eyes, but before she could say anything Hermione grabbed her by the arm and told her to go to bed already.

Sadly for Hermione, Ginny and Rohini weren't as tired as she was and played games of chess and talked about what Ginny will learn during her fourth year at Hogwarts until Mrs. Weasley caught them red handed and forced them to go to bed for good.

As the end of holidays approached, Rohini realised that she couldn't wait for Hogwarts to start again. Truth was, life here was almost as unbearable as being at Privet Drive; the adults were being secretive about everything and refused to let them do anything else that wasn't cleaning, Kreacher wheezed insults every time someone walked past him, muttering to Mrs. Black's hidden portrait about how the place had fallen into disgrace for hosting such filth and the tensions between Sirius and Mrs. Weasley were always on the edge of starting once more.

On the very last day of the holidays Harry was sweeping up Hedwig's owl droppings from the top of the wardrobe while Rohini lay on his bed reading, when Ron entered their bedroom carrying a couple of envelopes.

"Booklists have arrived," he said, throwing one of the envelopes up to Harry, who was standing on a chair. "Here's yours, Rohi'."

"About time!" Rohini said gleefully, sitting up before tearing the envelop open.

Harry swept the last of the droppings into a rubbish bag and threw the bag over Ron's head into the wastepaper basket in the corner, which swallowed it and belched loudly before doing the same.

The letter contained two pieces of parchment: one the usual reminder that term started on the first of September; the other telling them which books they would need for the coming year.

"Only two new ones," Harry said, reading the list, "The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, by Miranda Goshawk, and Defensive Magical Theory, by Wilbert Slinkhard."

"I wonder when will go to Diag-"

CRACK!

Fred apparated right beside Harry who was so used to the twins doing this by now that he didn't even fall off his chair. A second later, George did the same, apparating between Rohini and Ron.

"We were just wondering who assigned the Slinkhard book." said Fred conversationally.

"Because it means Dumbledore's found a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." said George.

"And about time too." said Fred.

"Yeah, I'm guessing nobody want this post now." Rohini said, fanning herself with the parchments. "So far, we got a case of Voldemort possession, a useless liar, an actually competent teacher that should have never left, and… another Voldemort accomplice."

"One sacked, one dead, one's memory removed, and one locked in a trunk for nine months." said Harry, counting them off on his fingers. "Yeah, we didn't miss any. What do you reckon the next one will be like, Ron?"

Ron did not answer.

He was standing very still with his mouth slightly open, gaping at his letter from Hogwarts.

"What's the matter?" said George impatiently, looking over his shoulder at the parchment. Then, his mouth fell open, too.

"Lemme look!" Rohini said, leaning closer to Ron before gasping dramatically. "No way!"

"Prefect?" George said, staring incredulously at the letter. "Prefect?"

Fred leapt forward and seized the envelope in Ron's other hand and turned it upside-down and something scarlet and gold fall into his palm.

"There's been a mistake!" said Fred, snatching the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect."

"I don't know, seems more logical than picking Harry." Rohini said, grinning at her brother.

"Are you kidding?! We thought Harry was a cert!' said Fred, in a tone that suggested Harry had tricked them in some way.

"We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!" said George indignantly. "I suppose all the mad stuff must've counted against him."

"Yeah," said Fred slowly. "Yeah, you've caused too much trouble, mate. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right."

He strode over to Harry and clapped him on the back while giving Ron a scathing look.

"Prefect... ickle Ronnie the prefect…"

"Oh, come on, you two." Rohini groaned, rolling her eyes. "Being a Prefect doesn't mean anything. I think Sirius mentioned dad being a head boy or something at some point, and yet he was apparently one hell of a prankster."

But the twins ignored her entirely.

"Oh, Mum's going to be revolting," groaned Fred, throwing the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.

Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, then held it out to Rohini as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine. Rohini took it and adjusted her glasses.

A large 'P' was superimposed on the Gryffindor lion.

"Seems all good to me." Rohini said, grinning proudly at Ron. "Congrats, Ron. Here, have a look, Harry!" She said, throwing the badge at Harry who caught him and brought it closer to his eyes.

The door banged open at that moment and Hermione came tearing into the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying. There was an envelope in her hand.

"Did you- did you get-?"

She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek.

"I knew it!" she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too, Harry, me too!"

"No," said Harry quickly, handing the badge to Fred who quickly pushed it into George's hands with a disgusted grunt, who threw the badge at Rohini, who finally handed it back to Ron. "It's Ron, not me."

"It-what?"

"Ron's prefect, not me." Harry said.

"Ron?" said Hermione, her jaw dropping. "But... are you sure?"

"Hermione!" Rohini gasped.

"I- I mean!"

She turned red as Ron looked round at her with a defiant expression on his lace.

"It's my name on the letter." he said.

"I…" said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered. "I... well... wow! Well done, Ron! That's really-"

"Unexpected." said George, nodding.

The door behind her opened a little wider and Mrs. Weasley backed into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes. All froze, holding their breath.

"Ginny said the booklists had come at last," she said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting the robes into two piles. "If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pyjamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing... what colour would you like?"

"Get him red and gold to match his badge." said George, smirking.

"Match his what?" said Mrs. Weasley absently, rolling up a pair of maroon socks and placing them on Ron's pile.

Rohini snorted, her eyes shining as she glanced at Ron.

"His badge," said Fred, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. "His lovely shiny new prefect's badge."

Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs. Weasley's preoccupation with pyjamas.

"His... but Ron, you're not…?"

Ron held up his badge.

Mrs. Weasley let out a shriek just like Hermione's.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"

"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?" said George indignantly, as his mother flung her arms around her youngest son.

"You can be Harry and I's new brothers if you want." Rohini said lightly. "A family of twins, sounds pretty neat don't you think?"

Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley was beyond joy.

"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh, Ronnie-"

Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back but Mrs. Weasley did not notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.

"Mum… don't... Mum, get a grip… " he muttered, trying to push her away.

"I'm gonna go tell Ginny, I'm sure she will be thrilled." Rohini said quickly before escaping.

But instead of going to Ginny, Rohini found herself heading to the attic where she was certain to be left alone.

The attic was large, larger than the bedrooms downstairs, but it was also the dustiest place, with cobwebs hanging everywhere, white sheets pulled over furniture forming threatening silhouettes that seemed to move from the corner of your eyes.

Still, Rohini liked to come here when things got a bit too overwhelming with the others. The silence felt somewhat peaceful, an odd contrast to the gloominess of the house.

Taking place on an old Victorian couch she had discovered the previous week, Rohini picked up her journal and pen she had been hiding under one of the cushions, and started writing down what had just happened.

She took her time, stopping when she heard the faint sound of Fred and George apparating somewhere in the house, wondering if they'll act even more recklessly this year just to spite Hermione and Ron and dare them to give the two of them detention.

Then, she thought about Harry, and frowned. He had barely spoken during the whole scene… could it be that he was jealous?

Rohini bit the tip of her pen. No, it couldn't be; she had never heard Harry mention his wish to become a Prefect, and it seemed unlikely he would keep that from her. Or did he, actually? And could it become a source of tensions between him and Ron?

Rohini shook her head. No, they might be a bunch of emotional teenagers, but they weren't dumb enough to drop a friendship over a stupid badge.

That thought brought another one to Rohini's mind; did Padma receive a badge, too? She would certainly deserve one; she was one of the kindest, brightest, more rational witches Rohini knew, and it sounded like a role that would suits her perfectly.

And not for the first time since summer began, Rohini wished she could see Padma. It didn't feel fair that Harry was able to live here with his two best friends when Rohini wasn't even allowed to write to her best friend in case the letter got caught.

She loved the Weasleys and Hermione, but it was just not the same.

Sighing languidly, Rohini closed her journal and hit her face with it, wincing slightly as her nose throbbed a little.

"Why can't it be September already?" She grumbled. "I'm bored…"

"I've heard Molly said there were still some cleaning to do, if you're looking for a job." Said the amused voice of Sirius above her as he took the journal off Rohini's face. "That's the last place I expected to find you, Rohini."

"Hi Padfoot." Rohini mumbled before stretching with a yawn. "Have ya heard the good news already?"

"It's hard not to when Molly is sobbing so joyfully." Sirius scoffed. "But I'm glad Ron got this badge."

"You're not too disappointed it wasn't Harry?" Rohini asked, resting her chin on her crossed arms.

Sirius shrugged.

"I don't need him to wear a badge to know he's a good person." Sirius said and Rohini sighed in relief.

"Glad we think the same." She said. "Honestly, Prefects are just lucky because their bathroom is really cool, or so I've heard. But I'm happy with the Ravenclaw one, so I don't think I'll miss anything exciting."

"That's my girl." Sirius said, ruffling Rohini's hair. "It grew longer since you arrived." He noticed, pulling gently on one of the curls.

"If you promise not to accidentally stab me in the neck, I will gladly let you cut them for me." Rohini said. "What where you doing here, anyway?" She asked, tilting her head. Sirius' expression stiffen.

"The same as you, I suppose." He said vaguely. "Bucky is a bit moody today, so I thought I'd leave him alone."

"I see." Rohini said simply.

A moment passed before Sirius handed back her journal to Rohini and sat next to her.

"Sirius…" Rohini started, unsure of what to say, "I'm sorry you can't escape this place."

Sirius laughed a humourless laugh.

"If I escaped Azkaban, I'm sure I can manage this one if I wanted to. I'm only following Dumbledore's orders."

"What would happen if you didn't?" Rohini asked and Sirius gave her a strange look. "I mean, I know it's dangerous, and- and you could be killed or worse, be kissed by a Dementor, but…" Rohini looked down at her hands, frowning. "You're still a human being, Padfoot. You shouldn't be forced to stay in a rotten place like that."

Sirius' laugh took Rohini by surprise and she looked up to see the man was looking at her with shining eyes and a fond smile.

"You're just like Lily, Rohini." He said and Rohini felt her throat tightened with emotion; it wasn't often people would comment on anything else but their similar eyes colour. "And you also remind me of Euphemia, James' mother. She and Fleamont took me in and treated me like their own son when I left." Sirius explained.

"Can you… can you tell me more about them?" Rohini asked shyly. "People barely mention anything about mum and dad, let alone our grandparents…"

"A shame, really." Sirius shook his head. "Did you know that when we were in our second year, your mother-"

Sirius talked and talked, his whole body language becoming livelier as he went, and Rohini didn't stop him, laughing and gasping as she learnt more about her family. She wished Harry would have been here to listen with her, but she reassured herself by thinking he was probably celebrating with Ron.

They were both laughing at one of the failed attempts of the Marauders at pranking Professor McGonagall when someone knocked at the Attic's door.

"Sirius, Rohini, are you here? Mum needs help to organise a party for Ron and Hermione." Came Ginny's voice.

"And we refuse to stay alone with her when she's like that." Said Fred.

"Coming!" Rohini shouted before smiling at Sirius. "Thank you for that, Padfoot. I… I feel closer to them, somehow."

"It was a pleasure." Sirius smiled before helping her to her feet. "Let me know when you want to hear more, alright?"

"Alright." Rohini answered with a nod.

The atmosphere was more relaxed that day, thanks to the letters.

Down in the basement Mrs. Weasley had hung a scarlet banner over the dinner table, which read CONGRATULATIONS RON AND HERMIONE-NEW PREFECTS. She looked in a better mood than she had been all holiday and all tensions between her and Sirius seemed forgotten as she kept asking him to taste everything she was cooking with Rohini's help.

"I thought we'd have a little party not a sit-down dinner," she told them while tasting the cookie dough Rohini was making. "Your father and Bill are on their way, Ron. I've sent them both owls and they're thrilled." she added, beaming.

Fred rolled his eyes behind her back, and Rohini pulled out her tongue at him.

"Can I help with anything?" Tonks asked as she stumbled into the kitchen but Mrs. Weasley did her best to show her the door as kindly as possible.

Soon, the dinner table was covered in plates and drinks and people started to arrive, one by one.

Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt were some of the firsts to arrive, and Mad-Eye Moody stumped in shortly after Rohini and Harry had got themselves a Butterbeer and were trying to drink it faster than the other one under Fred, George, Ginny and Ron cheering while Hermione gave them a disapproval look, sipping her own Butterbeer.

"Oh, Alastor, I am glad you're here," said Mrs. Weasley brightly, as Mad-Eye shrugged off his travelling cloak and shook his head when Rohini started chocking on her drink. "We've wanted to ask you for ages-could you have a look in the writing desk in the drawing room and tell us what's inside it? We haven't wanted to open it just in case it's something really nasty."

Moody's electric-blue eye swivelled upwards and stared fixedly through the ceiling of the kitchen.

"Drawing room…" he growled, as the pupil contracted. "Desk in the corner? Yeah, I see it… Yeah, it's a boggart... Want me to go up and get rid of it, Molly?"

"How can you tell it's a boggart?" Rohini asked, confused. "I mean, aren't they supposed to have, like, no concrete appearance when they're not confronting someone?"

"Clever girl." Mad Eye snorted in a way that didn't make Rohini feel clever at all.

Sadly for Rohini, Mad Eye never answered her question as Mr. Weasley and Bill arrived, followed by Mundungus who was wearing a long overcoat that seemed oddly lumpy in unlikely places and declined the offer to remove it and put it with Moody's travelling cloak.

"Well, I think a toast is in order," said Mr. Weasley, when everyone had a drink. He raised his goblet. "To Ron and Hermione, the new Gryffindor prefects!"

Ron and Hermione beamed as everyone drank to them, and then applauded.

"I was never a prefect myself," said Tonks brightly from behind Harry and Rohini as everybody moved towards the table to help themselves to food. Her hair was tomato red and waist-length today; she looked like Ginny's older sister. "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."

"Like what?" said Ginny, who was choosing a baked potato.

"Like the ability to behave myself." said Tonks.

"That's probably why we're not prefect either, then." Rohini whispered to Harry who rolled his eyes but smile.

"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked.

Sirius, who was right beside the twins, let out his usual bark-like laugh.

"No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge."

"I think Dumbledore might have hoped I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends," said Lupin. "I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."

"Once a Marauder, always a Marauder?" Rohini said loud enough for him and Sirius to hear, and both adults gave her a knowing smile.

Harry smiled, too, before putting his attention on Ron who was rhapsodising about his new broom to anybody who would listen.

Next to them, Mrs. Weasley and Bill were having their usual argument about Bill's hair.

"…getting really out of hand, and you're so good-looking, it would look much better shorter, wouldn't it, Rohini?"

"I don't know, I think Bill look handsome when he's just being himself." Rohini said and Bill winked at her to Mrs. Weasley's displeasure who yawned widely and sighed.

"Well, I think I'll sort out that boggart before I turn in… Arthur, I don't want this lot up too late, all right? 'Night, Rohini, dear."

She left the kitchen and Rohini went to help herself to another slice of cheesecake when she spotted Harry, gloomily standing in front of an empty plate, Mad Eye next to him.

Pretending she wasn't listening, Rohini acted as if she was not sure what to eat next.

"You all right, Potter?" grunted Moody.

"Yeah, fine." obviously lied Harry.

Moody took a swig from his hipflask and Rohini hurried to pick up a few cookies to look unsuspicious.

"Come here, I've got something that might interest you. You too, Rohini; you're clearly interesting in what's going on." he said and Rohini's ears turned red as she slowly came closer, ignoring Harry's glare.

From an inner pocket of his robes Moody pulled a very tattered old wizarding photograph.

"Original Order of the Phoenix," growled Moody. "Found it last night when I was looking for my spare Invisibility Cloak, seeing as Podmore hasn't had the manners to return my best one... Thought people might like to see it."

Harry took the photograph and Rohini leaned closer to have a look at it. A small crowd of people, some waving at them, others lifting their glasses, looked back up at the twins.

"There's me," said Moody, unnecessarily pointing at himself.

The Moody in the picture was unmistakeable, though his hair was slightly less grey and his nose was intact.

"And there's Dumbledore beside me, Dedalus Diggle on the other side... That's Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family. That's Frank and Alice Longbottom-"

"Neville looks so much like his mum…" Rohini whispered.

"Poor devils," growled Moody. "Better dead than what happened to them... and that's Emmeline Vance, you've met her, Benjy Fenwick, he copped it too, we only ever found bits of him... shift aside there,' he added, poking the picture, and the little photographic people edged sideways, so that those who were partially obscured could move to the front.

"That's Edgar Bones, brother of Amelia Bones, they got him and his family, too, he was a great wizard… Sturgis Podmore, blimey, he looks young! Caradoc Dearborn, vanished six months after this, we never found his body... Hagrid, of course, looks exactly the same as ever… Elphias Doge, you've met him, I'd forgotten he used to wear that stupid hat… Gideon Prewett, it took five Death Eaters to kill him and his brother Fabian, they fought like heroes... budge along, budge along!"

The little people in the photograph jostled among themselves and those hidden right at the back appeared at the forefront of the picture.

"That's Dumbledore's brother Aberforth, only time I ever met him, strange bloke... That's Dorcas Meadowes, Voldemort killed her personally…"

"Really? She must have been a really skilled witch!" Rohini said, her voice full of admiration for the middle aged witch who smiled and waved at her.

"Indeed, she was… here's Sirius, next to Lupin, of course... and… there you go, thought that would interest you!"

Rohini's heart turned over. Lily and James Potter were beaming up at the three of them, sitting on either side of a small, watery-eyed man whom Rohini recognised at once as Wormtail, the one who had betrayed the Potters whereabouts to Voldemort and so helped to bring about their deaths.

Rohini felt her blood turns cold, her fingers clenching into fists. She wished she could have gone back in time at the moment this picture had been taken, wished she could have warn them all about what was going to happen, or even better, wish she could have dealt with Wormtail herself.

"What's that you've got there, Mad-Eye?" Said Sirius, now standing behind the three of them.

As Moody looked at him, Rohini felt Harry grab her by the arm and pulling her after him as he crossed the kitchen, slipped through the door and up the stairs before anyone could call them back.

The two of them said nothing, tiptoeing up the stairs in the hall past the stuffed elf-heads in silence until they approached the first landing where they both heard noises…

Someone was sobbing in the drawing room.

"Should we… check on them?" Rohini asked weakly, wishing she could just go to bed instead; Mad Eye's surprise had the opposite effect on her, and she just wanted to be left alone to brood in peace for the rest of the day.

"Hello?" Harry said.

There was no answer but the sobbing continued. He climbed the remaining stairs two at a time and Rohini followed, and they both walked across the landing and opened the drawing-room door.

Someone was cowering against the dark wall, her wand in her hand, her whole body shaking with sobs. Sprawled on the dusty old carpet in a patch of moonlight, clearly dead, was Ron.

Rohini saw her vision turns black as the image of Cedric Diggory's corpse replaced Ron's in her mind. _No_ , _no, not another one, not one of them too, no, it couldn't be-_

"R-r-riddikulus!" Rohini heard Mrs. Weasley sob through the fog clouding her mind and judgment, making it impossible for her to realise it was nothing but a Boggart; Cedric's glassy eyes were fixed on her, blood running from his nose and mouth, a fly crawling on his cheek-

"R-riddikulus!" Mrs. Weasley sobbed again.

But it wasn't Mrs. Weasley crawled on the floor that Rohini was seeing; it was Wormtail, holding his bleeding wrist, wailing and begging for help, his ugly face twisted in agony-

"Riddikulus! Riddikulus! RIDDIKULUS!" Mrs. Weasley was bailing, but Rohini didn't hear this time.

In fact, everything was silent; she couldn't hear Mrs. Weasley, couldn't hear Harry shouting at her, couldn't hear Pettigrew sobbing-

All she could hear was Voldemort's laugher, cruel and cold and coming from everywhere around her, taunting as she could do nothing but stare, stare at Cedric's corpse, at the blood slowly spilling everywhere, covering everything in a deep, deep red…

And before she could hold it back, Rohini started to scream in an attempt to cover Voldemort's laugh, screaming on top of her lungs as she closed her eyes and covering her ears, wishing for all those visions and nightmares and distorted memories to leave her alone.

She had read about muggles and wizards alike that suffered from a thing called PTSD, but Rohini would have never expected it to touch people her age, too.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Troubling Case of Holidays' End

 _Shing. Shing. Shing._

The attic was as eerie quiet as usual, the silence only broken by the scissors at work held by Sirius' pale hands as he worked through Rohini's hair, spoking only to ask Rohini if he should cut shorter.

Rohini nodded each time, her stern eyes fixed on the silver mirror she was holding.

 _Shing. Shing. Shing_.

The Boggart accident had happened two days ago, and Rohini had spent the two past 48 hours in the attic, leaving only to eat and go to the bathroom while refusing to speak to anyone, not even Harry.

In the end, Sirius had been the one coming to her with a bucket of water, a comb, a hairbrush and a pair of scissors, announcing he still had to cut her hair before everyone left for King Cross the next day.

Rohini had been suspicious at first, thinking he might have been sent by Harry or Mrs. Weasley, but Sirius had a genuine look on his face and so she had done as she was told, sitting on a chair while Sirius settled for this improvised hairdressing session.

Rohini didn't realised the attic wasn't silent anymore until Sirius' humming grew into actual lyrics she wasn't familiar with. It was a rebellious, rock-ish song, as to be expected of Harry's godfather and still Rohini found it somewhat relaxing.

"James and I loved to sing it on top of our lungs, back then." Sirius recalled as the scissors slammed together. "I can't say we were very good at it, but we couldn't care less about that. The rest of the Gryffindors, though…"

Someone chuckled and Rohini was surprised to realise it was her.

"Ah, finally." Sirius said, and Rohini saw him smile in relief through the mirror before he pointed at her hair. "What about this length?"

"It's great, thank you." Rohini said softly, her voice a bit croaky. "Sirius, I-"

"It's all right, Rohini." Sirius stopped her as he took a step backward to have a proper look at his work. "I know how it goes, those hellish visions and nightmares… 't was my whole life back in Azkaban." His features darkened with anger and pain as he mentioned his time as a prisoner.

"Do you still have them?" Rohini asked, her stomach twisting painfully as she already knew the answer. "Do you… do you still feel like you're still trapped in your cell, sometimes?"

"I doubt it will ever go away." Sirius admitted with a sad smile. "But it always get better, you know? I have them less frequently since you and Harry saved my life, that night at Hogwarts. You two gave me hope, I s'pose." He said, smiling down at Rohini but she didn't have the strength to smile back.

"I'm not like you, Padfoot." She said, her shoulders slouching under the weight of her fears. "Or like Harry, for that matter. I'm… I'm not strong. I'm conventionally smart, and I'm lucky to have amazing people to help and support me, but on my own? I'm just nothing."

Sirius' expression harden as he shook his head.

"This is bullshit." He said firmly. "Rohini, let me tell you, nobody your age would have survived facing Voldemort like you did that night."

A bitter laugh left Rohini's thin lips. Indeed, Cedric hadn't got that chance…

"You weren't there, Padfoot." Rohini spat. "You didn't- I… It was barely a fight." She said, her voice breaking ever so slightly as she recalled how humiliating it had been for her, to be at Voldemort's mercy, the Death Eaters laughing cruelly as she crawled on the ground. "I was powerless. I… it was awful, Sirius. When he used Crucio…" Rohini's vision was now blurry as she shuddered and brought her knees to her chest, hiding her face. "It was so painful, worse than when the basilisk bite me and almost killed me… I… I thought I was br-brave, when facing him, you know? I tried to be fierce, b-but… he was right, you know? I was nothing but a lucky little girl… escaping had nothing to do with being strong. It was pure luck, Sirius. Just… just luck."

Rohini took a deep breath, shaking and feeling like she had been thrown into cold waters. She hated that sensation of fear and anger, hated feeling ridiculous and "overly sensitive" even though being tortured was something she was allowed to vent about.

Sirius said nothing, and Rohini didn't think much of it until something cool touched her hand.

Jolting, she looked up and saw that where Sirius had been standing was now a big black dog, his human eyes staring at her with worry before nudging her with his muzzle again with a soft 'woof'. Sniffing and chuckling weakly, Rohini rubbed her eyes and hugged Sirius' fluffy neck, burring her face into the black, soft fur.

"Thank you, Pad'." She mumbled. "You're truly humanity's best friend."

The dog emitted a strange barking noise that sounded close to Sirius' laugh.

They stayed like this for a while, and when Lupin came to check on them, he found Rohini curled up against Padfoot, looking exhausted but still she smiled weakly at him and acted as if none of those two past days had happened, happily taking a bite of the chocolate bar Lupin had brought for her.

Nobody brought up the fact she had gone hiding for two days except Hermione, but Rohini noticed that everybody seemed to somewhat paid closer attention to her, and it was both unnerving and something she was grateful of when Ron valiantly protected her from one of Fred and George's tricks, being the one turning to a disgusting purple skin colour instead.

By the end of the day, Rohini was smiling and colours were back to her face as she sat with everybody for dinner, helping herself to a large portion of potatoes.

"Is everybody ready for tomorrow?" Mrs. Weasley asked, buttering a toast that she handed to Ginny. "I hope you're all packed." She added, looking heavily at her sons who took a long, silent gulp of their tea.

"Mrs Weasley, do you think Sirius could come with us? As Padfoot, I mean-" Rohini said quickly as Mrs. Weasley froze. "I'd feel better with him around. And Voldemort- (half the table hissed at the name) will probably not plan an attack in bright daylight, right? Plus, there're probably plenty of black dog in London, and nobody will pay attention when it's our first day back to Hogwarts…"

"Can he?" Harry asked, looking hopeful. "Rohini's right, I'm sure it's safe and-"

"We'll see tomorrow." Mrs. Weasley said sharply, and thought the twins looked disappointed, they knew it wasn't a straight up no.

Even Sirius seemed merrier after that, turning to his dog form and running around the table to make everybody but Mrs. Weasley laugh.

They went to bed early that night, though Rohini and Hermione stayed up late reading and quizzing each other to make sure they were ready to face the upcoming year, only stopping after Ginny sleepily threatened to go get her mum if they didn't shut up.

There was a lot of commotion in the house the next morning. From what Rohini managed to hear as she dressed at top speed, she understood that Fred and George had bewitched their trunks to fly downstairs to save the bother of carrying them, with the result that they had hurtled straight into Ginny and knocked her down two flights of stairs into the hall; Mrs. Black and Mrs. Weasley were both screaming at the top of their voices in a horrifying concerto.

"-COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS-"

"-FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS-"

'I'm so glad we'll not come back before long…' Rohini thought, stumbling as her glasses got caught in the t shirt she was trying to put on.

"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed and Rohini hurried to grab a sleepy Thranduil by the back of his neck before unceremoniously stuffing him in his cage and, ignoring his hisses, Rohini set off downstairs, dragging her trunk.

Mrs. Black's portrait was still howling with rage but nobody was bothering to close the curtains over her; all the noise in the hall was bound to rouse her again, anyway. Bumping into Harry, Rohini couldn't help but whistle at the chaotic situation.

"Harry, Rohini, you're to come with me and Tonks," shouted Mrs. Weasley over the repeated screeches of "MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT!", "'Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage... Oh, for heavens sake, Sirius!"

A bearlike black dog had appeared at their side as he was clambering over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh honestly…"' said Mrs. Weasley despairingly, "well, on your own head be it!"

Rohini could swear she saw Sirius wink at her, and she gave him a bright smile before following after Harry's godfather as Mrs. Weasley wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight and Rohini blinked painfully, having lost the habit of been exposed to the sun directly after the weeks spent inside.

The door slammed behind them and Mrs. Black's screeches were cut off instantly.

"Where's Tonks?" Harry said, looking round as they went down the stone steps of number twelve, which vanished the moment they reached the pavement.

"She's waiting for us just up here." said Mrs. Weasley stiffly, averting her eyes from the lolloping black dog beside them.

An old woman greeted them on the corner. She had tightly curled grey hair and wore a purple hat shaped like a pork pie and winked at them with a knowing smile at the twins before talking with Molly who was now lengthening her stride, looking grim.

But the great black dog gave a joyful bark and gambolled around them, snapping at pigeons and chasing its own tail. Harry couldn't help laughing and seeing her brother so relaxed, Rohini did the same.

"Feels good to be outside again, right?" She whispered to Padfoot who happily barked at her. "Gotcha."

It took them twenty minutes to reach King's Cross on foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of cats for Harry and Rohini's entertainment.

Once inside the station they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through on to platform nine and three-quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families.

Rohini was now on her tiptoes, looking for the familiar sign of Padma or Luna.

"I hope the others make it in time," said Mrs. Weasley anxiously, staring behind her at the wrought-iron arch spanning the platform, through which new arrivals would come.

"Nice dog, Harry!" called a tall boy with dreadlocks.

"Thanks, Lee." said Harry, grinning, as Sirius wagged his tail frantically.

"Senior dogs are the best!" Rohini shouted, snorting at the look the black dog gave her.

"Oh good," said Mrs. Weasley, sounding relieved, "here's Alastor with the luggage, look…"

A porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes, Moody came limping through the archway pushing a trolley loaded with their trunks.

"All okay," he muttered to Mrs. Weasley and Tonks, "don't think we were followed…"

Seconds later, Mr. Weasley emerged on to the platform with Ron and Hermione. They had almost unloaded Moody's luggage trolley when Fred, George, and Ginny turned up with Lupin.

"No trouble?" growled Moody.

"Nothing." said Lupin, whose expression grew amused when Padfoot trotted to him and jokingly pretended to chew at his coat.

"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," said Moody, "that's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."

"Well, look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round. He reached Harry and gave him a clap on the shoulder. "You too, Harry. Be careful. Same goes for you, Rohini." He said, looking at her straight in the eyes with a certain heaviness in his before adding softly, "Don't forget; you can always ask for help; you have friends you can count on, and in those times, loyal friends is all you could ask for."

"I will." Rohini promised.

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, shaking their hand too. "And don't forget, all of you- careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."

"It's been great meeting all of you," said Tonks, hugging Hermione and Ginny. "We'll see you soon, I expect."

A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying on to the train.

"Quick, quick," said Mrs. Weasley distractedly, hugging them at random and catching Harry twice, "Write… Be good... If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on… Onto the train, now, hurry…"

For one brief moment, the great black dog reared on to its hind legs and placed its front paws on Harry and Rohini' shoulders, but Mrs. Weasley shoved them away towards the train door, hissing, "For heaven's sake, act more like a dog, Sirius!"

"Take care!" Rohini shouted, waving widely.

"See you!" Harry called out of the open window as the train began to move, while Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waved beside them.

The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shrank rapidly but the black dog was bounding alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, then they rounded a bend, and Sirius was gone.

"He shouldn't have come with us." said Hermione in a worried voice.

"Hermione, I dare you to be locked inside with no company for months before commenting on Sirius." Rohini said before excusing herself. "I'm gonna go look for Padma and Luna, see ya at Hogwarts!"

"I'm coming." Ginny said, and the two of them set off in search of their best friends.

As they went from one compartment to another, they could see by the windows that the train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past, and they swayed where they stood.

"Rohini, Ginny, wait!" came Harry's voice, and the two girls stopped to let him catch up with them. "Ron and Hermione went to the prefect compartment." He explained.

"Oh." Rohini said, not sure of what else to say. "Well, the more the merrier for us, right Ginny?" She asked and Ginny nodded, smiling at Harry before taking his wrist and pulling him after her.

They struggled off down the corridor, peering through the glass-panelled doors into the compartments they passed, which were already full. Rohini could not help noticing that a lot of people stared back at the three of them with great interest and that several of them nudged their neighbours and pointed them out, especially Rohini.

"Ignore them." Ginny said lightly, "they're just dumb enough to read and believe all the crap the Daily Prophet wrote about you this summer."

"Oh, and I thought it was my great look." Rohini said with a sarcastic smile, though a weight had fallen into the pit of her stomach. Her mood lightened up however when she opened the door to the last compartment and saw a familiar mane of dirty blood hair sitting here.

"Hello," Came Luna's soft, dreamy answer as she looked at them above her Quibbler magazine, smiling. "I'm glad the three of you found me."

"Luna!" Rohini and Ginny said happily, hurrying to take place next to their friends as Harry sat in front of them. "How are you?"

As Luna told them more about her holidays,

Someone knocked on the door and Neville Longbottom shyly looked inside to ask if he could join them before sitting next to Harry.

Soon enough, the whole compartment was filled with a light hearted atmosphere that was quite welcome after this troublesome summer.

Rohini wished Padma had been with them, too, but Luna explained that she had indeed received a prefect badge, just as Rohini had expected.

The train rattled onwards, speeding them out into open country. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next they were passing beneath ominously grey clouds.

"Guess what I got for my birthday?" said Neville.

"Another Remembrall?" said Harry.

"A new toad? Socks?" Rohini suggested. "What? Everybody need new socks, it's a fact. You always lose them when doing the laundry…"

"No," said Neville. "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago… No, look at this…"

He dug the hand that was not keeping a firm grip on Trevor into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small grey cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia." he said proudly.

Rohini raised an eyebrow. It was pulsating slightly, giving it the rather sinister look of some diseased internal organ.

"Gross." Padma said, twisting her nose.

"It's really, really rare," said Neville, beaming. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My Great Uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

"Breed it? Are you becoming the Herbology version of Hagrid?" Ginny asked, and the rest of them puffed as Neville's ears turned red.

"Does it-er-do anything?" Harry politely asked.

"Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism. Here, hold Trevor for me…"

"I'm not sure this is a good idea, Nev'." Rohini said quickly as he dumped the toad into Harry's lap and took a quill from his schoolbag.

Ginny leaned closer to Luna, the two of them trying to stay at a safe distance from the odd looking plant.

Rohini was torn between doing the same or leaning closer when Neville held the Mimbulus mimbletonia up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth, chose his spot, and gave the plant a sharp prod with the tip of his quill.

Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant; thick, stinking, dark green jets of it.

They hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered on Ginny who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time and merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat, but also on Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing Trevor's escape, received a faceful, just like Rohini.

"It smells like rancid manure!" Rohini gasped, running to the window to slide it open and take a fresh gulp of air as she tried not to puke.

"So sorry," Neville gasped. "I haven't tried that before… Didn't realise it would be quite so... Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous!" he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful on to the floor.

"Geeze Neville, refrain from trying something new when we're around, please. Scourgify!" Ginny grumbled, waving her wand and making most of the green liquid vanish from her own robe.

At that precise moment the door of their compartment slid open.

"Oh... hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um... bad time?"

Rohini felt mortified for her brother when she turned and saw who had just arrived.

A very pretty girl with long, shiny black hair was now standing in the doorway smiling at Harry: it was Cho Chang, the Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

"Oh… hi." said Harry blankly and Rohini grunted as she hit her forehead against the window frame. _Idiot._

"Um…" said Cho. "Well... just thought I'd say hello... 'bye then."

"See ya later, Cho!" Rohini said quickly and Cho waved at her, rather pink in the face as she closed the door and departed.

Harry slumped back in his seat and groaned.

"That was… lame." Rohini said slowly, before starting to laugh. "Sorry, Harry."

"Oh, shut up." Harry grumbled moodily, Neville still apologising as Ginny waved her wand once more and the Stinksap vanished from them all.

Even the arrival of the food trolley didn't seem to help with Harry's sour mood, but his expression lightened up when Ron and Hermione finally turned up after an hour.

Harry, Ginny, and Neville had finished their pumpkin pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog Cards while Luna and Rohini went into a game of guessing what was the supposed taste of the Jelly beans they were eating, when the compartment door slid open and they walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon in his cage.

"I'm starving," said Ron, stowing Pigwidgeon next to Hedwig, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself into the seat next to him. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the frog's head and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had had a very exhausting morning.

"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each house," said Hermione, looking thoroughly disgruntled as she took her seat next to Rohini. "Boy and girl from each."

"Seems fair." Rohini nodded, handing her friend a pink coloured bean.

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" said Ron, still with his eyes closed.

"Malfoy." They all replied at once.

"'Course." said Ron bitterly, stuffing the rest of the Frog into his mouth and taking another.

'Who are Hufflepuff's?' Harry asked.

"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott." said Ron thickly.

"And as for Ravenclaw, it was Anthony Goldstein and-"

"Me!" Came Padma's singing voice as she stepped inside the compartment, a bright smile on her face as locked eyes with Rohini who felt her heart skip a beat when she realised she was finally reunited with Padma. "Missed m-"

But before she could finish her question, Padma was knocked off her feet with a surprised yelp as Rohini grabbed her by the waist and half hugged/ half carried her in an overexcited reaction.

"Padma!" She yelled happily, eyes shining like the brightest stars as she finally let go of her friend. "I- I'm so happy to see you again!" Rohini laughed, resting her forehead on her friend's shoulder.

"I can see that, yeah." Padma chuckled, her cheeks turning pink at the amused look their friends gave the two of them. "But, I'm really upset at you, you know?" She said, pouting as she poked Rohini's chest. "Almost no letter for half the summer, and then not a single note except "Can't talk 'till we met again'! I thought something bad had happened to you!"

"Sorry about that, it was… it was a weird summer." Rohini said, dancing from one feet to another, glancing at Neville who was looking at them all in confusion. "We'll talk about it later?" She whispered to Padma who seemed to catch up with the situation and nodded, her smile back on her beautiful face.

"Alright. But don't give me such a fright ever again, or I'll make sure you get detention." Padma teased, pointing at her prefect badge before laughing once more. "Parvati was so jealous that I was chosen and not her, but mum said it didn't make any difference and they both loved us very much still, of course." Padma said, rolling her eyes.

"Speaking of being a prefect, we're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often." Ron sighed. "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something…"

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" said Hermione sharply.

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all." said Ron sarcastically.

"Ron's right." Rohini pointed out before turning to Padma. "I count on you to help me out of detention if he does." She teased with a grin and Padma huffed before sitting next to Luna as Hermione and Ron kept bickering.

"What are you reading, Luna?" Padma asked, taking the magazine from Luna's hands and holding it so that Rohini could have a look with her.

On the open page was a fairly bad cartoon of Cornelius Fudge; Rohini only recognised him because of the lime-green bowler hat. One of Fudges hands was clenched around a bag of gold; the other hand was throttling a goblin. The cartoon was captioned: _How Far Will Fudge Go to Gain Gringotts?_

As for the next page, it was titled: _SIRIUS BLACK: Villain or Victim?_

This, too, was illustrated by a rather bad cartoon; Sirius was standing on a pile of human bones with his wand out. The headline on the article said: _Painted Notorious Mass Murderer OR Innocent Singing Sensation?_

Rohini burst in laugh, and read aloud so that Harry could enjoy it, too:

"For fourteen years Sirius Black has been believed guilty of the mass murder of twelve innocent Muggles and one wizard. Black's audacious escape from Azkaban two years ago has led to the widest manhunt ever conducted by the Ministry of Magic. None of us has ever questioned that he deserves to be recaptured and handed back to the Dementors. BUT DOES HE?"

She took a pause for dramatic effect, her friends raising eyebrows and waving at her to keep going.

"Startling new evidence has recently come to light that Sirius Black may not have committed the crimes for which he was sent to Azhaban. In fact, says Doris Purkiss, of 18 Acanthia Way, Little Norton, Black may not even have been present at the killings.

'What people don't realise is that Sirius Black is a false name,' says Mrs. Purkiss. 'The man people believe to be Sirius Black is actually Stubby Boardman, lead singer of popular singing group The Hobgoblins, who retired from public life after being struck on the ear by a turnip at a concert in Little Norton Church Hall nearly fifteen years ago." Rohini's voice was so high pitched when she finished her sentence before bursting in laugh made her sound as if she was on helium.

It took everybody a few seconds to recover before she could keep going.

"'I recognised him the moment I saw his picture in the paper. Now, Stubby couldn't possibly have committed those crimes, because on the day in question he happened to be enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with me. I have written to the Minister for Magic and am expecting him to give Stubby, alias Sirius, a full pardon any day now.'"

This time, Rohini laughed so hard her stomach started to hurt and tears flooded from her eyes.

"Oh my god, oh my freakin- Oh god, that's- Oh, Mister Black, please sing to me while we have a romantic candlelit dinner!" Rohini managed to wheeze at her hysterical friends and a poor, confused Neville.

They all stopped however as the compartment door opened once more and the atmosphere dropped a few degrees at the sight of Draco Malfoy smirking at them from between his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

"What?" Harry said aggressively before Malfoy could open his mouth.

"If you're looking for a new House Elf, that's the wrong place to look at." Rohini spat.

"Manners, Potters, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Malfoy, whose sleek blond hair and pointed chin were just like his father's. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

They laughed. Malfoy's lip curled.

"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.

"It feels great, Malfoy." Rohini said, smiling. "You know, the feeling of friends supporting each other? Oh, I forgot; clearly it's unfamiliar to someone who needs to pay people to hang out with him."

"Watch yourself, Potter," Malfoy snarled as Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles menacingly, "because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line."

"We're terrified." Harry said coldly.

"Trembling with fear, really." Rohini added.

Sniggering, Malfoy gave the two of them a last malicious look and departed, with Crabbe and Goyle lumbering along in his wake. Hermione stood up and slammed the compartment door behind them and turned to look at Harry and the two of them exchanged a look Rohini didn't quite get.

The weather remained undecided as they travelled farther and farther north. Rain spattered the windows in a half-hearted way, then the sun put in a feeble appearance before clouds drifted over it once more. From time to time, Hermione, Ron and Padma would left to fulfil their prefect duty, but would always come back quick.

"We'd better change." said Hermione at last, and all of them opened their trunks with difficulty and pulled on their school robes. Rohini smiled at Padma's proud expression everytime she looked down at her badge.

"You deserve this." She said, and Padma gave her a bright smile, squeezing Rohini's hand lightly as the train began to slow down and they heard the usual racket up and down it as everybody scrambled to get their luggage and pets assembled, ready for departure.

"I'll see you for dinner." Padma said before following Ron and Hermione out of the carriage to supervise the arrival of the train.

"We should go, too." Ginny said, stretching.

They shuffled out of the compartment feeling the first sting of the night air on their faces as they joined the crowd in the corridor. Slowly, they moved towards the doors. Rohini closed her eyes as she smelled the pine trees that lined the path down to the lake.

She also was expecting the familiarity of Hagrid's greeting of the first years, but it wa a quite different voice, a brisk female one who was calling out, "First years line up over here, please! All first years to me!"

It was Professor Grubbly-Plank, the witch who had taken over Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lessons for a while the previous year.

They didn't have time to worry about Hagrid that they were now shunted forward onto the dark rain-washed road outside Hogsmeade Station.

Here stood the hundred or so horseless stagecoaches that always took the students above first year up to the castle… except the coaches were no longer horseless.

Rohini froze as she recognised them from books she had read about Magical Creatures; Thestrals.

Standing between the carriage shafts, they were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither-vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Standing still and quiet in the gathering gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister.

"You can see them, too?" Luna asked softly.

"I… how…" Rohini started, but then, she understood.

 _Cedric_.

"I'm not feeling so good." Rohini managed to breathed as one of the creatures looked at her straight in the eyes. "I need to sit down, right now." She added before quickly climbing into the carriage right before her knees could give up under her.

"Rohi?" Harry asked, warry. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"She saw someone die," Luna said calmly while rubbing slow circles over Rohini's back. "Which means she can see them, now."

"See what?" Ginny asked, confused. "Oh, wait, you told me before…"

"Thestrals." Rohini breathed, resting her head against Luna's shoulders. "You can only see them when you really understand death in a broader sense, when you really know what it means. When… when you've properly see someone die." Rohini finished.

Silence followed her explanation, only broken by the thin rain falling.

It wasn't the return to Hogwarts Rohini had expected, and she couldn't help the sour taste in her mouth making her slightly nauseous as the castle came closer into view.

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 **NOTES: Thank you for your kind reviews 3 It genuinely pushed me to go past all my personal problems and writer block to finally start writing for this fic once more. So, really, thank you, and I hope you'll have a lovely day and find cash on the ground, and that you'll be able to eat your favourite meal 33**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Troubling Case of Hogwarts' welcoming

Rattling and swaying, the carriages moved in convoy up the road.

When they passed between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars on either side of the gates to the school grounds, Harry –who was sitting in front of Rohini- leaned forwards to try and see whether there were any lights on in Hagrid's cabin by the Forbidden Forest, but informed the rest of them that the grounds were in complete darkness.

"Maybe Dumbledore gave him something to do, something important." Rohini said, exchanging a knowing look with her brother.

"Yeah, that's probably that." Harry nodded, though he seemed bothered by Hagrid's absence.

The carriages jingled to a halt near the stone steps leading up to the oak front doors and Rohini jumped out of the carriage first.

She turned to face the strange, skeletal horses standing quietly in the chill night air, their blank white eyes gleaming at her.

"Sorry I reacted poorly to you." She whispered, awkwardly patting the creature. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

"Do you think they can understand you?" Harry asked, bemused, as they all set into motion once more.

"Certainly." Luna said lightly, hopping in front of them towards the castle. "They are very smart creatures."

"I'm hungry." Ron mumbled, rubbing his stomach.

"I wouldn't say no to a good meal, too." Rohini admitted. "Or just a cup of pumpkin juice…"

The Entrance Hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the double doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast.

The four long house tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the starless black ceiling, which was just like the sky they could glimpse through the high windows.

Candles floated in midair all along the tables, illuminating the silvery ghosts who were dotted about the Hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other houses, eyeing one another's new haircuts and robes.

Rohini passed her hand through her short hair and wondered if Zach will hold it against her that she didn't wait for his mother to cut them for her. Probably not.

"Be careful, ok?" Harry warned Rohini, nodding at the nosy students whispering and pointing at them. "And don't listen to them."

"Same goes to you, dummy." Rohini said, gently nudging her brother. "Don't worry about me."

"I always have to worry about you." Harry scoffed before joining his friends to the Gryffindor table.

"Let's sit at our own table, shall we?" Padma asked, taking Rohini's hand as the Luna waved at them from a free space she had saved. "And I know Harry just warned you, but please, try to be more careful this year, alright?"

"Why, you're worried you'll have to give me detention?" Rohini teased, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. Padma scoffed.

"No, because the new DADA teacher is an influent figure of the Ministry." She said, nodding towards the teachers table.

Rohini frowned in confusion and looked up.

"No way!" She gasped, revolted.

Professor Dumbledore, sitting in his high-backed golden chair at the centre of the long staff table, wearing deep-purple robes scattered with silvery stars and a matching hat, was now listening to a woman sitting next to him, who was talking into his ear.

She was squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes and when she had turned her face slightly to take a sip from her goblet, Rohini had recognised the pallid, toadlike face from Harry's hearing.

"What is she doing here? She was ready to condemn Harry!" Rohini said angrily as Padma forced her to seat. "There must have been a mistake, she can't possibly be-"

"Mum told me it was bound to happen," Padma said darkly. "The Minister needs a grasp on Dumbledore, doesn't he? And since no one wants the job anyway, Dumbledore probably had no choice but take her application… or maybe Mr. Fudge gave him no choice…"

"Nice cardigan." Luna simply said.

The doors from the Entrance Hall opened before Rohini could ask further questions to Padma about what Mrs. Patil knew about the situation.

A long line of scared-looking first-years entered, led by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizards hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim.

The buzz of talk in the Great Hall faded away. The first-years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students, and Professor McGonagall placed the stool carefully in front of them, then stood back.

The first-years' faces glowed palely in the candlelight. A small boy right in the middle of the row looked as though he was trembling.

"I can't believe it used to be us." Rohini sighed, feeling sympathy for the poor kid. "It feels like we've been at Hogwarts since forever!"

The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song:

 _In times of old when I was new_

 _And Hogwarts barely started_

 _The founders of our noble school_

 _Thought never to be parted:_

 _United by a common goal,_

 _They had the self-same yearning,_

 _To make the world's best magic school_

 _And pass along their learning._

 _'Together we will build and teach!'_

 _The four good friends decided_

 _And never did they dream that they_

 _Might someday be divided,_

 _For were there such friends anywhere_

 _As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_

 _Unless it was the second pair_

 _Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?_

 _So how could it have gone so wrong?_

 _How could such friendships fail?_

 _Why, I was there and so can tell_

 _The whole sad, sorry tale._

 _Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those_

 _Whose ancestry is purest. '_

 _Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose_

 _Intelligence is surest. '_

 _Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all those_

 _With brave deeds to their name, '_

 _Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot,_

 _And treat them just the same. '_

 _These differences caused little strife_

 _When first they came to light,_

 _For each of the four founders had_

 _A house in which they might_

 _Take only those they wanted, so,_

 _For instance, Slytherin_

 _Took only pure-blood wizards_

 _Of great cunning, just like him,_

 _And only those of sharpest mind_

 _Were taught by Ravenclaw_

 _While the bravest and the boldest_

 _Went to daring Gryffindor._

 _Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,_

 _And taught them all she knew,_

 _Thus the houses and their founders_

 _Retained friendships firm and true._

 _So Hogwarts worked in harmony_

 _For several happy years,_

 _But then discord crept among us_

 _Feeding on our faults and fears._

 _The houses that, like pillars four,_

 _Had once held up our school,_

 _Now turned upon each other and,_

 _Divided, sought to rule._

 _And for a while it seemed the school_

 _Must meet an early end,_

 _What with duelling and with fighting_

 _And the clash of friend on friend_

 _And at last there came morning_

 _When old Slytherin departed_

 _And though the fighting then died out_

 _He left us quite downhearted._

 _And never since the founders four_

 _Were whittled down to three_

 _Have the houses been united_

 _As they once were meant to be._

 _And now the Sorting Hat is here_

 _And you all know the score:_

 _I sort you into houses_

 _Because that is what I'm for,_

 _But this year I'll go further,_

 _Listen closely to my song:_

 _Though condemned I am to split you_

 _Still I worry that it's wrong,_

 _Though I must fulfil my duty_

 _And must quarter every year_

 _Still I wonder whether Sorting_

 _May not bring the end I fear._

 _Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_

 _The warning history shows,_

 _For our Hogwarts is in danger_

 _From external, deadly foes_

 _And we must unite inside her_

 _Or we'll crumble from within_

 _I have told you, I have warned you_

 _Let the Sorting now begin!_

The Hat became motionless once more; applause broke out, though it was punctured, for the first time in Rohini's memory, with muttering and whispers.

"It was really not what I expected." Rohini said slowly.

"I hope the houses will stay united," Padma said, worryingly playing with her badge. "I don't want to be forced to punish students fighting over _His_ return."

Professor McGonagall, who was waiting to read out the list of first-years' names, was giving the whispering students the sort of look that scorches and silence came back.

With a last frowning look that swept the lour house tables, Professor McGonagall lowered her eyes to her long piece of parchment and called out the first name.

"Abercrombie, Euan."

The terrified-looking boy stumbled forwards and put the Hat on his head; it was only prevented from falling right down to his shoulders by his very prominent ears. The Hat considered for a moment, then the rip near the brim opened again and shouted:

"Gryffindor!"

Euan Abercrombie staggered to Lion table and sat down, looking as though he would like very much to sink through the floor and never be looked at again.

"I'm so glad we're not going through sorting every year." Rohini said.

"It would be logical, though," Luna pointed out. "Our personality and beliefs are bond to change as we grow; maybe someone that was in Ravenclaw would happen to become a Hufflepuff during their third years, for instance."

"That's a… surprisingly interesting and effecting idea." Rohini admitted. "Especially in preventing House wars…"

Slowly, the long line of first-years thinned. In the pauses between the names and the Sorting Hat's decisions, Rohini and her friends would joke about Rohini's stomach rumbling loudly.

Finally, "Zeller, Rose!" was Sorted into Hufflepuff, and Professor McGonagall picked up the Hat and stool and marched them away as Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, "welcome! To our old hands- welcome back! There is a time for speech-making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

There was an appreciative laugh and an outbreak of applause as Dumbledore sat down neatly and threw his long beard over his shoulder so as to keep it out of the way of his plate-for food had appeared out of nowhere, so that the five long tables were groaning under joints and pies and dishes of vegetables, bread and sauces and flagons of pumpkin juice.

Rohini sighed happily as she seized the nearest plate of chops and began piling them on to her plate before handing them to Padma and Luna.

The familiarity of the dinner was enough to brighten Rohini's mood, making her forget about her problem for the split of a moment, laughing at Zach and Elliot's jokes as they told them more about the week-end they both spent camping in the wild together with Elliot's parents.

"And then dad freaked out when he realised we had been kidnapped by what mum thought was a Bigfoot!" Elliot said, laughing at the memory. "He kept yelling 'don't tell your mum, don't tell your mum!' while being unable to aim his wand without Zach and I being in the way."

"Bigfoot isn't real, then?" Rohini asked between two bites of chocolate cakes.

"He is, but not the way Muggles imagine him to be." Zach explained. "The Muggle "Bigfoot" is just the result of a half blood giant-"

Dumbledore got to his feet once more, putting an end to their conversation.

Talking ceased immediately as all turned to face the Headmaster.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore. "First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students-and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too."

"I think he means you." Padma whispered to Rohini with a knowing smile.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause.

"You were right," Rohini sighed. "The Ministry truly have a spy at Hogwarts, now…"

Dumbledore continued, "Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will take place on the-"

He broke off, looking enquiringly at Professor Umbridge. As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge cleared her throat, "Hem, hem," and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.

Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk.

Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. Professor Sprout's eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair and Professor McGonagall's mouth was as thin as Rohini had ever seen it. No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.

Only Rohini wasn't finding it amusing, her jaw tensed and her eyes narrowing in distrust.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."

Her voice was high-pitched, breathy and little-girlish and, again, Rohini felt a powerful rush of disgust.

She gave another little throat-clearing cough and continued.

"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!"

Rohini raised an eyebrow and Elliot cough to hide his grin.

None of the faces looked happy. On the contrary, they all looked rather taken-aback at being addressed as though they were five years old.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins.

"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan." Padma whispered to Zach, and both of them lapsed into silent giggles.

Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again, but when she continued, some of the breathiness had vanished from her voice. She sounded much more business-like and now her words had a dull learned-by-heart sound to them.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them for ever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."

Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back to her.

Professor McGonagall's dark eyebrows had contracted so that she looked positively hawklike, and Rohini didn't miss her exchange a significant glance with Professor Sprout as Umbridge gave another little 'hem, hem' and went on with her speech.

"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation-"

The quiet that always filled the Hall when Dumbledore was speaking was breaking up as students put their heads together, whispering and giggling.

Luna had got out The Quibbler again and Zach kept going about their camping trip. Meanwhile, at the Hufflepuff table Ernie Macmillan was one of the few still staring at Professor Umbridge, but he was glassy-eyed and Rohini was sure he was only pretending to listen in an attempt to live up to the new prefect's badge gleaming on his chest.

The Slytherin table was as interested as a rat would be interested in poison, and Rohini smirked when she looked at the Gryffindor table and saw Harry yawn.

Professor Umbridge did not seem to notice the restlessness of her audience. The teachers, however, were still listening very attentively and Rohini decided to pay attention once more.

"-because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgement. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

She sat down. Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though Rohini could see that several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping. A few students joined in, but most had been taken unawares by the end of the speech, not having listened to more than a few words of it, and before they could start applauding properly.

Dumbledore had stood up again.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating," he said, bowing to her. "Now, as I was saying-"

"I have a really, really bad feeling about her," Rohini said, staring at the nasty looking woman. "'progress for progress's sake must be discouraged'? What is that supposed to mean?"

But before Padma answered, Dumbledore dismissed the school and everybody started to stand up ,ready to leave the Hall.

"I'm supposed to show the first years where to go." She explained flatly. "See you later?"

"Good luck." Rohini said with an encouraging smile before going after Luna and the boys. "Show them who's the boss!"

"Rohini, they are pretty much babies!" Padma laughed, shaking her head.

They were making their way out of the Great Hall when someone bumped into Rohini.

"Oof, sorry, I-" Started the young boy before freezing. "Oh…" He said flatly, recognising her. "Yeah, forget it." And then he hurried to join his friends, whispering and pointing at her.

"Ah, that was to be expected." Elliot said, suddenly looking stiff. "They ain't fond of you at the Ministry, are they?"

"Yeah, I'm not exactly one of their special guests." Rohini mumbled, squaring her shoulders. "Now that I think about it, why are you two so chill about me? Don't you think I'm a liar, or something?"

"You lie as well as Malfoy is kind." Zach said dully. "And mum warned me that if I dared to pick a fight against you, she would personally come to make me apologise…" He laughed before clapping Rohini's shoulders. "Nah, we believe you, Rohini. It might just be mum and I, but mum always had her trust in Dumbledore."

"My mum is a Muggle, so she isn't aware of what's happening." Elliot explained, as they took a marble staircase that started moving so fast Rohini had to quickly jump on it before losing her friends' track. "And I'm not gonna lie, dad doesn't trust you or Dumbledore, but he doesn't trust anyone except the wrong people, so…"

"Thanks, guys." Rohini said, her eyes shining in gratefulness. "Glad to know there's some people who still have faith in me."

"We're more than you think." Luna sang lightly.

"I'll trust you on it." Rohini said wisely.

The four of them parted way as they reached their respective dorms, and Rohini decided to wait for Padma to arrive before going to bed. Luna, who was already quite tired, said goodnight and quickly retired.

Rohini regretted her decision to wait however as a group of Ravenclaw girls came into view and froze when they saw her standing here, on her own.

"What's wrong, Potter?" Lisa Turpin asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her chin. "Did your friends ditch you? Would be no surprise, they must be scared you'll kill them in their sleep, wouldn't be the first time…"

Rohini felt her blood turn into stone as the four girls snickered. Breathing suddenly faster, she slowly took a step forward and enjoyed the way Lisa seemed to tense up as she did.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean, Lisa?" She asked lightly, as if discussing the weather.

"It means that we all know Cedric wasn't kill by… by You-Know-Who." The girl on Lisa's left said, hiding behind her friend. "My uncle is from the Ministry, and he said-"

"What, that I lied to cover Cedric's murder?" Rohini snapped, laughing humourlessly. "How smart of me, isn't it?"

"Don't be so coy, Potter." Lisa spat. "Everybody knows you're just a…a"

"A what?" Rohini said, taking another step, then two, until she was standing face to face with Lisa, who was slightly taller than her. "Go on, don't be scared. How are you worried you'll end up like Cedric?"

"See! She just confessed!" The petite girl on the left yelped, maniacally waving her wand. "I told you she did it! My uncle-"

"SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR STUPID UNCLE!" Rohini roared and the girl shrieked before running away. "Now, Lisa, why don't you finish what you started, _bitch_?" She asked, the last word heavy on her tongue.

 _CLAC!_

The slap took Rohini's by surprise, and the shock numbed the pain as she slowly brought a hand to her cheek, blinking slowly.

"Don't you ever call me that, you disgusting-"

"Lisa Turpin, I hope you'll be thrilled to hear you'll have your first hour of detention tomorrow." Came Padma's voice as the prefect was suddenly standing side by side with Rohini, a protective arm passed around her shoulders and her eyes glaring down at Lisa with a murderous light in them.

"You can't give me detentions!" Lisa gasped and Padma laughed coldly.

"Oh, haven't you seen my badge, yet?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and Lisa's eyes grew bigger when she realised her mistake. "Now, if I was you, I'll make sure to clear the path and go hide in the hole where you belong."

A moment passed, Lisa and Padma both staring at each other furiously, before one of Lisa's friends mumbled that it was getting late and they still had to unpack.

"You've fallen lower than I thought, Padma." Lisa whispered as she left, bumping into Rohini as she did.

"You will always be lower, no matter where I stand anyway," Padma said and Rohini chuckled weakly as Padma cupped her cheeks and raised her face, forcing her to maintain eye contact. "Are you alright?"

Padma's usual kindness was back, and Rohini sighed before nodding.

"Yeah, barely felt anything." She lied, her cheek burning where the slap had hit her.

"Don't listen to Lisa, or anybody else for that matter." Padma said. "Only listen to us, alright? We know you better than they ever will."

"I know." Rohini said softly and Padma gave her a comforting smile before resting her forehead against Rohini's in a private, soft gesture that made them both blush a little.

"Good." Padma whispered and Rohini wished time would stop and they could both stand here like that forever. "They were right for only one thing; it's getting late. Let's go to bed, alright?" She asked, stepping back and breaking the magic of the moment.

"Alright." Rohini said, her chest warm as Padma took her by the hand and never let go.


	12. Chapter 12

In four years, Rohini had had her fair share of rough days while studying at Hogwarts and though she was growing used to them by now, it didn't make them any less difficult to deal with.

Thankfully enough, her circle of friends had grown bigger and it was easier to find moral support after yet another student bumped into her on purpose with a sneer.

Most of the time, their smile would vanish as soon as Padma flashed her prefect badge to them right before taking some points from their respective house.

"My shoulder is starting to feel sore." Rohini complained to Padma on their second day back to the castle, right after a group of Slytherin didn't pay enough attention and 'accidentally' shoved Rohini aside with more strength than necessary. "I'm starting to wish I had been a prefect."

"You don't need more responsibilities on your shoulders, trust me." Padma said wisely, looking down at their new schedule as she hadn't memorised it yet. "I have a feeling this is going to be a difficult year…"

"School wise or generally speaking?" Rohini asked before yawning, not entirely wide awake after breakfast.

"Both, at this point." Padma sighed. "I heard you shifting and grumbling last night. Still have troubles sleeping?"

"Oh, did I keep you awake?" Rohini asked with a worried frown. "Sorry about that."

"Don't fret, silly." Padma scoffed, gently nudging Rohini. "We should hurry, we start with History of Magic today."

Rohini rolled her eyes; Binns would barely notice if the castle was on fire, let alone if two students arrived late or skipped his class entirely.

They had been walking for a few minutes when Rohini remembered something she had heard Hermione talk about the previous day.

"Say, Padma, do you know if exams this year will be difficult? Hermione seems to think OWLs are nothing to worry about, but she's the only one so far…"

Padma pinched her lips, thoughtful.

"I know that mum did really great because she wanted to become an Auror but dad barely passed them, but he wasn't really the studious kind so I can't really tell..."

"Really?" Rohini asked, surprised. "He looks like a serious man, yet."

"Oh he is _now_ ," Padma laughed, "He wasn't a troublemaker, not really, but he wasn't into studying that much. I think being into a wizardly profession wasn't what he was looking for anyway."

"I see." Rohini said as they reached the classroom.

What about her? She was so worried about survival lately that the whole thought of planning her future seriously had never occurred to her. Until Voldemort was dead for good and his followers put into jail, Rohini found it unlikely she would manage to find a stable job and live a normal life without being killed one night, just like her parents had been-

"Oh thanks goodness, he hasn't started yet." Padma whispered as they hurried to find a seat, getting Rohini out of her quite depressing trail of thoughts.

History of Magic was by common opinion the dullest subject ever devised by wizardkind. Professor Binns, their ghost teacher, had a wheezy droning voice that was almost guaranteed to cause severe drowsiness within ten minutes, five in warm weather. He never varied the form of their lessons, but lectured them without pausing while they took notes, or rather, gazed sleepily into space.

For his first lesson of the year, he decided to settle on the subject of giant wars and Rohini tried so hard to focus for the subject should have been interesting, but it was no use; their teacher was as morbidly boring as the grave he wasn't currently haunting.

Instead, Rohini started to think about OWLs and how there were going to influence her future as an adult. The thought almost made her laugh in disbelief; she was 15, how exactly was she supposed to know for sure what she wanted to do for the rest of her life? Even with Voldemort's threat set aside, what if she came to realise she didn't love her job? Was it possible to change fields without having to pass more exams? It all seemed quite confusing….

Finally the bell rang and it was time for them to leave the next lesson was Herbology and Rohini felt herself relaxing a little as both Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs crossed the castle's yard under a fine misty drizzle that made everything a bit blurry to look at.

The weather made everything inside the green house smell stronger and though most people grimaced and complained about it, Rohini found out she didn't mind the earthy smell. On the contrary, she happily buried her gloved hands in muds, wondering how something supposedly dirty could felt so soothing.

"Dad says it's something some people enjoy," Padma explained as she pushed her hair away from her sweaty forehead. "Stimulating your senses with different kind of textures, fidgeting malleable materials…"

"I like it-" Rohini said, and Padma gave her a fond look. "-but I can't see myself working in the Herbology field, you know?"

"You could become a potter and play with clay the whole day, then." Padma said cheekily and Rohini laughed, drawing attention on herself and she quickly muttered an apology to Professor Sprout.

"Maybe I should do that, yeah." She whispered with a wink before focusing on the ugly slug looking sentient plant they were supposed to take care of.

Playing in the mud was sadly not powerful enough to make Rohini forget their next class: Potions.

Professor Snape was as infuriating as Rohini remembered him, sweeping over and staring for uncomfortably long in your eyes as he spoke oh so slowly, reminding everybody that only the most skilled students will be allowed to keep Potions in their schedule in Sixth year and that the rest will have to say their goodbyes.

"I will gladly do so." Rohini mumbled, "but I have a feeling I'll need Potions if I want to become a Magizoologist… might give up on this dream, just to avoid Snape…"

"What a drastic solution." Padma said with a smile, her eyes fixed on the chalkboard as Snape wrote his instructions, the chalk screeching painfully against the board.

"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: if you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing."

It wasn't an easy work; ingredients had to be added to the cauldron in precisely the right order and quantities; the mixture had to be stirred exactly the right number of times, firstly in clockwise, then in anti-clockwise directions; the heat of the flames on which it was simmering had to be lowered to exactly the right level for a specific number of minutes before the final ingredient was added.

"You know what, I take it back. You were right, and I'm definitely not gonna keep up with this class next year." Padma grunted, pulling on her hair in frustration. "It's driving me crazy!"

"Don't let Snape hear you, he'll be too pleased about it." Rohini said moodily, trying to get rid of the sticky bug skin that had gotten under her nails.

"A light silver vapour should now be rising from your potion." called Snape, with ten minutes left to go.

"It looks silverfish enough, right?" Zach whispered to Rohini, pointing to his own cauldron issuing a pale blue steam while Padma's cauldron was now spitting white sparks that left burn marks on the table.

Rohini was surprised when she looked around and realised that she was one of the few students with a shimmering mist of silver vapour hovering above her cauldron. Her pride only grew as Snape stared down at her over his long large nose and his eyes narrowed furiously, for he had nothing to say about her potion.

"Those of you who have managed to read the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name and bring it up to my desk for testing," said Snape, walking away and missing the thumb up Padma gave Rohini.

As usual, he made sure to torture them further by giving them twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making, to be handed in the next day as homework.

Everybody complained loudly as soon as they were out of the dungeon all the way to the Great Hall but Rohini was too hungry to open her mouth, happy to just listen to Padma planning how she would write this essay for the next afternoon.

"Would you say no if I ask to copy yours?" Rohini asked and Padma huffed, pointing out how bold it was to ask that to a Prefect, though she didn't deny Rohini's request.

Rain was lashing the high windows and Rohini couldn't tell if there were more candles lit or if it was just a trick of her eyes. As she sat and helped herself to some shepherd's pie, she listened to Luna's first impression of Umbridge.

"She is a really strange woman, I don't think you will like her very much." She said, her expression less dreamy as she recalled how she had taken points from Ravenclaw when Luna had dared to question her methods without any ill intention. "But I think Harry is the one she dislike the most."

"What do you mean?" Rohini asked, her mouth stopping an inch away from the slice of pie she was holding, making some of its filling fall back into her plate. "You're not in his class, so how-"

"Oh, Ginny just told me about it, she bumped into Harry yesterday but he barely acknowledged her, so she went and ask Ron about it. Umbridge wasn't really nice to him and treated him like a petulant child." Luna said.

"He didn't tell me about it." Rohini said, frowning as she glanced at the Gryffindor table where Harry was laughing at Fred and George's joke. He seemed fairly alright so it might not have been as bad as it sounded…

"DADA is next, so be prepared for the same treatment." Padma said grimly to Rohini who waved it off.

"I'm not afraid of her." She said, throwing a nasty glance at Umbridge who was listening to Professor Flitwick with pinched lips.

"That's what worries me the most." Padma sighed, playing with her pudding without much enthusiasm.

When they entered the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom they found Professor Umbridge already seated at the teachers desk, wearing her fluffy pink cardigan and a black velvet bow on top of her head.

The class was quiet as it entered the room; Professor Umbridge's reputation had already started to spread among the students about how strict a disciplinarian she revealed herself to be.

"Well, good afternoon!" she said, when finally the whole class had sat down. "I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge' when you first enter my class."

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge." They all chanted back with more or less sarcasm audible in their voice. "I see you didn't take your wands away, good, good. Those are not necessary in my class."

Rohini huffed loudly; 'wands away' had never yet been followed by a lesson that ended up interesting and from what she had gathered from the whispers, "boring" was an understatement when it came to Umbridge's class.

"Remember; don't make a fuss." Padma whispered to Rohini as they took place in the last row, Rohini being tired of feeling everybody's gaze on her back when she decided to sat upfront.

"I never do." Rohini said and Padma gave her a relatively unimpressed glance.

Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once:

 _Defence Against the Dark Arts: A Return to Basic Principles_

Rohini was almost upset at how it might have been a great idea to make sure everybody remembered the basics before starting to study more profound subjects for their OWLs yet with someone like the terrible woman it only sounded like a kindergarten class.

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your OWL year."

Regrettably, Rohini had to agree on one point; Professor Lupin aside, none of their DADA teachers had been relatively competent.

"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centred, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."

She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by:

 _Course Aims:_

 _1\. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic._

 _2\. Learning to recognise situations in which defensive magic can legally be used_

 _3\. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use._

For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three course aims she asked, "Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class. Rohini didn't even bother to answer, just resting her chin over her copy with a grunt.

"I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply, 'Yes, Professor Umbridge', or 'No, Professor Umbridge'. So: has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?

"Yes, Professor Umbridge." rang through the room.

"Good," said Professor Umbridge. "I should like you to turn to page five and read 'Chapter One, Basics for Beginners'. There will be no need to talk."

Professor Umbridge left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing them all closely with those pouchy toad's eyes. Rohini turned to page five of her copy of Defensive Magical Theory but didn't bother to read; after seeing who their DADA teacher was going to be, she had taken a quick look at the book and realised it was worthless of her attention.

Several silent minutes passed and most Ravenclaws were obviously pretending to be reading while thinking about something else. Next to Padma, Zach was absent-mindedly scribbling Elliot's name on his parchment and Padma's eyes were now fixed on a particle of dust floating in front of her eyes.

"Children please, focus on your books. If you have already finished reading it, make sure to read it a second time to ensure you understood it properly." Came Umbridge high pitched voice and Rohini realised she was staring at the three of them with insistence.

" _Children_?" Rohini scoffed and Padma stepped on her foot as a warning.

"As a matter of fact," Umbridge said, loud enough for it to be clearly addressed to Rohini in particular, "if anyone has a strong desire to ask a question about this lesson, they must raise their hand before talking."

To Rohini's surprise, Zach raised his hand.

"Yes, Mister…?"

"Zachariah Nzeogwu." He said. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but… I took a long at the table of contents, but there's nothing in this about defensive spells?"

Whispers rose among the Ravenclaws, half the students quickly going to the table of contents and nodding in agreement.

"Do you expect to be attacked during my classes, Mr Nzeogwu?"

"Hopefully not." Zach answered and a few chuckled at that.

"Then, there is no need for those spells."

"I beg to differ, Profess-" Rohini started but was startled when Umbridge screamed at her to raise her hand before talking.

Putting on her sweetest smile, Rohini raised her hand before trying again. "I'm sorry Professor, but I disagree with your statement."

"Miss Potter. Surely, your brother's hearing would have taught you that responsible adults know better than children with a creative imagination do, I'm sure?" Umbridge said with her oh so unpleasant voice and Rohini clenched her fist as she forced the polite smile to stay on her face.

"On the contrary, Professor; I think it taught me that adults were quick to turn a blind eye to the world's biggest threats, which make me wonder if those adults are indeed competent enough to teach us how to defend ourselves."

A silence followed Rohini's words, every pair of eyes going back and forth between her and Professor Umbridge whose smile didn't seem amused at all now as she ignored Rohini's intervention to look at the rest of the class with a sorry expression.

"I do not wish to criticise the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed-not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."

Rohini started standing up but Padma grabbed her firmly and forced her to sit down.

"Indeed, you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day and it is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you."

She paused to take the time to clear her throat and kept going.

"Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?" she added, staring at Lisa, whose hand had just shot up.

"Lisa Thompson, Professor. I agree entirely with you, however isn't there a practical bit in our Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the counter-curses and things?"

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions." said Professor Umbridge dismissively.

"Without ever practising them beforehand?" said Padma incredulously. "Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?"

"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough-"

"I've studied broom racing for years before our first flying lesson, yet I could barely stay on my broom floating three inch above the ground more than five seconds." Zach said with a frown. "Theory doesn't-"

"RAISE YOUR HAND BEFORE SPEAKING!" Umbridge yelled and everybody fell quiet once more. "Now, I can clearly see that you have all been misinformed-"

"And the Minister of Magic knows a lot about misinformation, am I right?" Rohini said loudly, rising her clenched fist in the air, her blood boiling in her veins.

"Ten points from Ravenclaw, Miss Potter." Umbridge said coldly. "Now, let me make a few things quite plain."

Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned towards them, her stubby-fingered hands splayed on her desk.

"A lot of you are misinformed after being told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead and is at large once again. This is, of course, a lie."

"It is NOT a lie!" shouted Rohini, ignoring Padma's grimace as her best friend hid her face in her hands. "The only liar here is yo-"

"Detention, Miss Potter!" said Professor Umbridge triumphantly. "Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office. I repeat, this is a lie. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard."

"Oh, I'm sure Cedric appreciate it." Rohini growled and everybody gasped, looking at her half-scared half-fascinated. Too focused on Umbridge, Rohini didn't realise it mostly due to her copy of Defensive Magical Theory that had just caught fire on its own, Padma yelping and already trying to extinguish the flame with her own book.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident." Umbridge said coldly, though she too was looking at the flame with a funny look on her face. "But I see you and your brother are quite delusional about it, Miss Potter."

Then, in her softest most sweetly girlish voice, she added, "Come here, Miss Potter, dear."

But Rohini didn't move. Instead, she grabbed her bag and stood up, face pale and twisted with anger.

"Clearly, you're not here to teach us anything. I'm out, you can keep this useless book." She said before exiting the classroom without wasting another second in the vile woman's presence.

Within the next five minutes, she was summoned to Professor Flitwick's office by Peeves who taunted her all the way up to his office where the Ravenclaw Head lectured her about respecting one's teacher though it didn't sound much convincing at all as he did gave her a wink when he told her he was disappointed to see such behaviour in a Ravenclaw.

Rohini however felt her heart sink in her chest when Professor McGonagall was the one summoning her to her own office later that evening; she might not be the one in charge of the Ravenclaw House, but she was still the House Head Rohini both admired and feared the most.

If Rohini expected her to give her a proper lecture, she didn't expect however the biscuits she was offered without an explanation.

"Potter, I have already warned Mr. Potter to be careful, but I should have expected such behaviour from you as well."

Rohini didn't answer, taken aback by how Professor McGonagall's voice wasn't brisk, crisp and stern as usual but instead low and anxious.

"I'm sure you're quite aware misbehaviour in Dolores Umbridge's class could cost you much more than house points and a detention."

"Yes, Professor." Rohini said, looking down in shame as if she was being scolded by a grandmother rather than getting warned by an actual teacher. "But I-"

"I would also enjoy it greatly if you didn't burn every school supplies you stumble upon. If the Minister hears that your magic is getting out of control, I'm afraid your place at Hogwarts might become… uncertain."

"But you- I mean, Professor Dumbledore will not let that happen, right?" Rohini asked, feeling her stomach twist painfully.

"Of course not." Professor McGonagall snapped as her voice came back to normal. "Don't be foolish, Miss Potter. It is in your best interest to stay at Hogwarts and I expect you to put on your best behaviour. Now, OWLs will take most of your free time as you must study for them. However it is quite obvious we need to train you and keep your excess of wild power under control. We will meet thrice a week from now on, unless I specifically decided not to. Understood?"

"Yes, Professor." Rohini said.

"Good. Now go back to your dorm."

"Yes, Professor." Rohini repeated, taking her leave before stopping. "Professor McGonagall?"

"Yes, Miss Potter?"

"Thank you, Professor." Rohini said and Professor McGonagall's lips twitched ever so slightly as Rohini finally left her office, the castle now quiet and deserted if not for the ghosts and portraits wandering in the corridors.

Professor McGonagall was right about carefulness.

This whole farce wasn't about truth or lies; it was about the Minister wanting nothing more than to see Dumbledore down- and the twins with him… and it started with the detention Umbridge had set for her this week.

Maybe staying with Sirius would have been the wisest choice, after all.


End file.
